A Price To Pay
by LadyProphet
Summary: Ten years after everything and when Vongola had been deemed strongest Mafia family there is, Satsuki has her own troubles that she prefers to keep to herself. The Vongola are worried but some are oblivious. One day, she discovers what is weighing her down with the help of her mentor Shamal. It's a deadly secret that she would rather hide. TYL Tsuna/OC (Rated T - minor coarse lang)
1. Ten Years Through

Author's Note: It's only proper to have an author's note on the first chapter and I've also edited it a little bit. First chapter matters, yes? So, A Price to Pay, hopefully will pique your interest and have you stick with Satsuki. It is a very OC-centered fanfiction, with romance on OC/Tsuna and lots of action, so if you can't handle that, then maybe this isn't the fic for you :P

But to those who continue to read, thank you! I hope you enjoy every chapter :)

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"Satsuki, you have a long life ahead of you… Many people aren't given a choice. You're one of the fortunate ones who can turn away."

"…and I'm one of those who'd rather be in this."

The cold sweat was a given when Satsuki woke up, ten years through and still having dreams of that time. Sometimes she wondered if she had made the right choice, maybe Reborn was right.

When she looked out the window of her room, everything was the same. The sunlight peeked through the curtains, birds singing songs of the past ten years. Life was good most of the time, being part of the Vongola seemed more like the normal life than anything else, minus the chaos and warfare, of course.

She stretched, her arms reaching behind her then falling back down lazily on her sides. The mirror in the bathroom gave a clear image of her. She sifted through her black, messy, morning hair and sighed at the sight in front of her. Her hand absent mindedly traced the deformed scar on her neck down to her collarbone, every waking morning it reminded her of what had happened as well as what was to come.

She completed her daily morning routine happily, all that was left now was breakfast, and perhaps even that would be chaotic. The Vongola mansion had all kinds of perks and people, but the people were the most troublesome yet enjoyable ones. Hence when she stepped out of her room, a bullet whizzed past her and she froze on her spot.

"Good morning Satsuki."

She grimaced at the morning greeting Reborn exercised on her, the small Arcobaleno tipped his hat down and continued down the hallway without a second word to her, as if he had never fired the bullet in the first place.

"G-Good morning, Reborn…"

She traced his steps with caution, following behind him in silence, it was only in the morning out in the hallways where she could think. It was quiet there, probably the ONLY quiet place aside from her room, to be quite honest, because when Reborn had thrown open the door leading to the dining room, her ears were attacked by different sounds. Plates clattering, people shouting profanities, if it was any other way, it wouldn't have been Vongola. A chorus of good mornings came from everyone, save the aloof people who never really acknowledged anyone, even after ten long years.

"Satsuki, good morning."

One voice stood out among the rest. He was once that clumsy little boy she went to school with 10 years ago, he was now the calm and collected Vongola boss. In so many ways he had changed yet in so many ways he had stayed the same. Satsuki gave a curt nod and sat at the farthest end from him, this was impulse. Breakfast was served on the table, most of it was gobbled up by the boys. Chrome, Kyoko, I-pin and Haru sat together across her, and they all waved, their faces depicting the usual joy.

Everyday was the same. Vongola had been deemed the strongest mafia family. Looking at the peace that had lasted for over a year already, she had confidence that it would last a little longer. Gokudera bickered with Yamamoto, that hadn't changed. Gokudera still pining for the right hand man -or was it left hand- Satsuki couldn't remember or couldn't care less, because she knew for a fact that Gokudera was better than a right or a left hand. He was both hands, a trustworthy friend and a family member. Everyone in the Vongola was that and nothing less. Tsuna needed every single one of them but glancing at Kyoko, she didn't know if everyone was equal in his heart. Satsuki wouldn't abandon the Vongola, not when it was the very reason she was still alive.

Ten years ago Satsuki was already woven into the mafia life. She was only unaware of it. She lived the normal life much like Tsuna did but at the same time Reborn had appeared in Tsuna's life, Satsuki's family had disappeared. She came home to a bloody evening after a normal school day. Bodies littered her house as if they were garbage instead of humans. She didn't recognize most of the dead men who wore suits, she could only pick three bodies out. Her parents lying in a heap together as if not wanting to let go until the very last moment, her father clutching a gun in his hand, and her mother with a tear stained face. It broke her heart into pieces, seeing them crumble like that.

But it broke her heart more when she recognized the little girl just behind them, as if they tried to shield her. Satsuki's little sister, no older than five. Her dress stained with a blood red. She was innocent. She hadn't even seen the world, done nothing wrong and was pure from the very cores of her heart.

That night when she stood there just staring at the bodies, crying silent, shocked tears, she hadn't noticed that another living presence was in the room. Whoever it was, that was still a mystery until this day but they had tried to kill her too. They seized Satsuki from the back and all she could remember was a searing pain in her neck. Had the gentle flame not interfered, she would have been dead by now.

A gentle, orange flame. That was what saved her that night, though she didn't see who it belonged to and for a few days she searched for that orange flame at the same time digging her own past, about her own family that she actually knew nothing about.

Orfeo. That was her grandfather's last name and she had never known she was of Italian lineage. Orfeo was a mafia family, though it was a small one and never fought for power. Her father didn't want to pass on the mafia lineage to his little girls, so he did what he could. He stashed all the previous documents into a safe only he knew the code to, changed his name, cut all ties to the mafia world and rebuilt anew, only to have everything backfire that night. Someone had opened the safe, and it seemed like whoever it was got what they wanted, because for ten long years, they never came back again.

It wasn't long after that Satsuki met Reborn and dying will Tsuna. She remembered it quite clearly in her head because Tsuna was half naked, confronting Kyoko in the middle of the streets. She vaguely remembered turning to the baby, asking him.

"That's Tsuna isn't it? What can I do to help him…?"

"What family are you from?"

"Family…? I'm… I'm Satsuki Minamoto, daughter of Minamo-"

"I'm going to ask you again, what family are you from?"

"…O-Orfeo…"

Satsuki had wanted to think it was all a dream, she couldn't accept the insanity of it all. Losing everything in one night, living on nothing but despair for days and suddenly seeing the light, maybe this was what she had been waiting for. Someone who needed her.

"Satsuki, you have a long life ahead of you… Many people aren't given a choice. You're one of the fortunate ones who can turn away."

"…and I'm one of those who'd rather be in this."

"Then accept everything that has happened, and learn from it. There's a doctor that lives near the school, once you've learned everything from him, come back to me."

Who would have known that the doctor was a pervert. Those few years were a pain with the perverted doctor but regardless of his mannerisms Shamal did help Satsuki a whole deal. By the time she came back to Reborn, she had already grown a whole lot, both physically and mentally.

"You have a flame yet you don't have a ring, interesting."

Was what Reborn first said and some of the guardians standing around her. The next thing, was already down to business. Reborn pointed at a passed out Tsuna with wounds of all sizes, the result of the Varia ring battle. Satsuki did what almost came like instinct to her, a light, rosy pink flame drove out from the tips of her fingers, she traced his wounds and they closed without difficulty. From then on, she followed Tsuna around as much as Gokudera did, only she was more mellowed out than the smoker, perhaps she hadn't completely recovered from the trauma of that night.

Even today as she sat down around her family members she could still see the bodies. Even after ten years the scent of blood could still infiltrate her nose, and even after those years the scar on her neck still remained and she unconsciously reached up to touch it, but was stopped by another bullet that whizzed past her hand. She snapped back to reality, the familiar sounds of chattering filling her ears again and she saw her hand, halfway up to touch the scar. She frowned, thankful that no one noticed anything over the noise and looked farther down the table to Reborn, gun in hand. She sighed and placed her fork down, standing to leave the room, her chair barely making an audible scraping sound above the noise.

Ten years through, and the memories still bothered her.


	2. Learning New Sentences

A/N: Terribly, terribly sorry for not writing any author's note on the first chapter XD Perhaps I was too into writing the story. A few explanations then, I'm really not following the manga/anime plot, because I'm kinda behind in reading/watching them. In this chapter, there are some sexual references so I hope you guys read with caution, I think the rating I put up for it is quite suitable already.

I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn~~~ I wish I owned all those Vongola bishies though :S

Reviews are highly appreciated and helps me write more =P

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"Reborn…"

Tsuna sat at the head of the table, with Reborn on his left side, eating the food happily. He couldn't let what happened just slide. Lately Satsuki had been distant, and it was causing quite a worry not only for him, but to people who had noted it.

Yamamoto for one, had been entertaining Gokudera's accusations but didn't turn a blind eye when the said girl walked away from the room. The rain guardian had noticed, for he had momentarily stopped talking to Gokudera, shooting the door a worried look, then returned to the conversation.

"What, dame-Tsuna?"

Reborn still called him that, but he didn't really mind. It was a reminder of what he was and what he started as. A reminder of how he climbed the ranks from being a nobody to somebody. Dame-Tsuna.

"Satsuki, she-"

"Leave her alone."

Tsuna blinked, his shoulders tense. He looked at the door she just went out from, and slumped his shoulders with a soft sigh. Once upon a time Tsuna would have listened to Reborn, would always think that Reborn was never wrong but times have changed and the Vongola boss trusted his own instincts. This was not something to be left alone.

Out in the hallway Satsuki changed her route to lead her to the rooftop. She flipped her phone open and pressed on the keys. The light beeping sounds echoed through the empty hallways as she searched for that one number she hadn't called in years. Shamal was quite the troublesome mentor. Perverted, flirtatious, brash and rarely sober. He gave her quite a hard time pining for information on how to do this or how to do that. If the doctor hadn't been flirting half of the time, maybe she would have finished training six months earlier.

She bounded up the steps carefully, pulling the phone to her ear and feeling the slightest bit awkward when the other line rang. How would she start a conversation with that troublesome man? For a second she contemplated on flipping the phone shut, six rings and still nothing. It was only when she pushed the door to rooftop open and was met by the whistling wind that the voice came on.

"Hey! Someone misses me! Long time no talk!"

Shamal piped up with a sing song voice already knowing who was calling. Satsuki held back an exasperated sigh and gently held her hair in place with her other hand. The wind was refreshing, up here you could see the vast greenery that surrounded the Vongola household. Years ago it was impossible to live in the mansion without being attacked. The underground base was their home for a long time.

Nowadays with the technology, intruders can be detected at the slightest twinge. The technicians had remarkable technology that enabled the security system to know who went in and out. This all depended on a scanner that matched the height, weight, features and overall stature of a person to a database stored in the main computer.

"…Shamal, you sent me a message just yesterday, what do you mean long time no talk?"

"The messages don't count my sweet Satsu, you never reply to them."

Indeed she didn't. What with the constant badgering of where she is, how she's doing and who she's sleeping with, there was no need to reply to such trivial and obvious questions. Shamal knew she was within Vongola land, knew she was doing just fine and knew that she would not sleep with anyone of the opposite gender.

"I'm guessing it has to be real big since you called."

Satsuki walked further away from the door and reached the edge of the rooftop, she was trapped within safety by metal fences. Once, when the rooftop only had metal railings as shield, little Lambo had attempted to fetch a candy that Gokudera "accidentally" threw over.

"…I feel weird."

She began, now aimlessly looking at the trees and vast land in front of her.

"…You need to get laid."

She groaned and hit her head on the fence. All this time and she thought Shamal would at least have toned down his hormones. A chuckle spread to her ears from the other line and she knew he was only poking fun.

"Is it the scar?"

That was probably the only good point in him. He was able to get right down to business when it mattered. He was diligent when working at school, treating wounds and injuries or the sick, right after his serious, diligent side shines through, his desperate pathetic hormonal skull would take over and he'd always ask the patient to bear his child.

"It's not as much as the scar… as what it feels like."

The other end was quiet. As much as Satsuki hated to admit it Shamal was one of the people who she could completely confide in. All those time training under him, he left no stone unturned and no secret unrevealed. He was a meddling fool but his instincts were sharp and his mind was Sherlock-like.

"Let it go Satsuki. How long has it been?"

Her heart clenched and the hairs on her arms stood. It took only a few seconds for him to figure out.

"It's difficult, Shamal. I don't know where the files are, what was in it. Who killed my family and why they did it. Nothing in my life is solved."

She whipped her head back and stared at the rooftop door, frightened that someone had come in and heard her ranting. No one. It was shut tight and she was alone in the space.

"Maybe it's better that you just forget about them."

She knew at the back of her mind that she'd been trying to forget, trying to release herself from torture.

"You've got a new family now, Satsuki. Leave the old one. You're Vongola."

She was lost in silence for a moment. The word Vongola stamped in her mind. He was right. He was indirectly telling her not to wallow in her own self-pity and realize that Vongola was there for her. Initially, Reborn was the only one who knew about her family's massacre. In a twist of events and in the middle of warfare, Reborn found it proper to tell the guardians that she was from an extinct Mafia family. How they became extinct was never told. Reborn and Shamal was the only one who knew in full.

"How's your progress with Tsuna?"

Satsuki scoffed at the sudden subject change. She turned away from the metal fencing and leaned her back against it, watching the rooftop door like a hawk, now more conscious if anyone was watching her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You followed that boy all the way there! You left me for him!" Fake hurt exploded from his voice and he was whimpering, exactly like one of those bad actors in a cliché romance drama.

"He likes Kyoko, Shamal."

She could have ended the conversation right then and there but there was no finality in her voice.

"Well either he gives you back or Kyoko back… I wouldn't mind Kyoko-chan…"

He continued rambling about the wonders of female anatomy and features, she shook hear head and decided it was time to end the call, leaving Shamal to his own mutterings and flipped the phone closed without as much as a "goodbye."

She was highly grateful that they had talked though and so she sighed and flipped the phone back open once she was in front of the door and punched in a short "Thank you." Then sent it to the pervert.

When the door to the rooftop closed and as soon as she was out of the space, something small made itself known. It flapped its wings and chirped, its yellow feathers getting messed up by the wind. It hovered in its place and started to fly away singing the Namimori theme, the familiar anthem was barely audible from the strong wind and the bird swerved a little, having difficulty flying towards its owner's room.

The last note of the anthem struck and the song usually would have been finished by then but something chirped out of the bird. It tried again, and it came out this time in its small chirpy voice, "It's difficult, Shamal."

On closer inspection, little Hibird had a slight glint in its eyes.


	3. Alive

A/N : I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn~! By the way, I've seen the traffic chart and saw that some people actually follow this. Haha~~ I'm glad~! I appreciate any feedback and thoughts you have. Seeing reviews make me really giddy and a happy camper with cookies :3 Review please?

Kufufufufufufu~~

Ahhhhh I had so much trouble writing this, I've never written for a bow and arrow before. I've done swords, spears, magic but a bow and arrow is so foreign to me T_T I hope I didn't mess it up so much.

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Satsuki had not shown up during lunch and spent the time in her room, thinking about her conversation with Shamal. Maybe what she really needed was a vacation. She never took one before, save for the murderous training camps Reborn randomly signed her up for. The Arcobaleno had a twisted idea of the word "vacation". Her phone ringing pulled her back to the present day. She was unpleasantly surprised to see that Gokudera was calling.

"Would it hurt you to come and talk to me…?"She muttered, momentarily glaring at the phone but answering it none the less. She had no opening to say "Hello." Gokudera was already screaming in her ear.

"Get your ass down here Satsu-baka!" Gokudera had a weird way of getting along with people but everyone knew that cursing, insulting and shouting was his way of showing that he cared… or that he was extremely pissed off. It was difficult to distinguish sometimes.

"I'm not feeling well, bakadera."

"I'm going to bomb your door open!"

That was the last she heard and the line was immediately cut off, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. She hoped the guardians wouldn't start calling her one by one. She might just give up on locking herself up in her room. To be honest, if Mukuro was the one to have called, she might have already been down there for lunch and eating diligently. The phrase "Listen to Mukuro or he'll haunt your dreams" was famous for being true.

Her phone didn't ring anymore and the bomb attack Gokudera promised didn't come. She threw herself back on the bed and looked up the ceiling, lost in thought and confused on the path she was taking. A long time ago Tsuna had needed her help, what with warfare going on, battles to keep mafia status and irreparable wounds, she was an essential part of the family. She wasn't sure if she could still say the same right now. She knew what was happening, something had changed and it was selfish of her to say so, even cruel.

It had become boring. No one needed her help, no fights were happening and the adrenaline that used to rush through her veins every other day when war was still common had disappeared and gone through a coma. She shouldn't be thinking such thoughts, it was no different to wishing that another fight would break out, some kind of trouble. Fighting had already become part of her life, healing had already become automatic but there was nothing anymore. She wondered if she was the only one feeling this way, if she was the only one who missed the battles and feeling of strength coursing through her.

Satsuki abruptly sat up and bolted herself to the door, grabbing the only weapon she ever had any practice with. A bow and arrow. She had no idea why Shamal forced the weapon on her until she found out that she was no good with hand to hand, swords, whips or any of the usual weapons. In fact Shamal was delighted to know that she had the hands of a doctor and eyes of a nurse. Her hands were steady and her aim for detail was delicately accurate... Well, most of the time. There had been one time where she accidentally let loose an arrow on Shamal's behind. She passed it off as a slip of the hand.

This was in a long time her first to go to the training room. More often than not she had a reason to go to the training room, they had to keep their stamina and grow stronger in order to be able to protect themselves and everyone around them. This time, she was going only for the reason that she wanted something to do. She wanted to feel the bow and arrow in her hands again, being utilized.

She was dumbfounded to see that the training arena was already being used by none other than the silver haired bomber. His senses were sharp and on instinct, he threw a batch of bombs in her direction. It was automatic for her. Taking out three arrows and aiming them simultaneously at the bombs and piercing them right on the core. It detonated in mid air and smoke flew up. When it cleared away, Gokudera was standing a few meters in front of her, one hand in his pocket, the other holding another three sticks.

"What happened to bombing my door?"

"Boss said not to bother you."

He clicked his tongue in disappointment but grinned, "I can bomb you here." He threw the bombs again and just like earlier she drew three arrows but missed one. Satsuki cursed and threw herself out of the way, rolling on her front and ending up crouched on one leg just as the bomb hit where she was previously standing. Suddenly, cubes and horizontal pillars of different sizes and heights protruded from the floor. This feature was only accessible if someone had customized the arena and the customization panel was usually outside or in the observation room. Sure enough, when she lifted her head to the direction of the clear glass hovering above them, the observation room was occupied by a familiar, evil and smiling Arcobaleno.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when two homing bombs chased her halfway across the arena before she was able to create a good distance between it and her to shoot. She groaned, realizing what she had gotten herself into. Satsuki and Gokudera were both, although not in the same way, trained by Shamal. One of Gokudera's Cambio Forma was in the form of archery and she realized this was bigger trouble than having a spar with a duplicate of herself. Gokudera knew her every move and more. He might have known what Satsuki would be thinking.

Satsuki ducked behind a cube and pressed a button on her mechanical arrow container. A hologram of arrow types hovered above the watch like structure on her wrist. She skimmed the arrows swiftly, noticing that she hadn't used special ones in a while. She had explosive arrows, fire arrows, poison arrows, arrows of different elelments and attributes. There was one section that read "S. arrows." and when she touched that section the hologram turned into a rectangular panel listing the arrows under "Shamal arrows".

Shamal had designed arrows for her and during training they had discovered that it was possible for her to use Shamal's disease inflicting mosquitoes in form of arrows. All she had to do was activate the arrows with her unusual rosy flame and it would react to her, allowing her access to the ability. She touched the "Cataratta Arrows" input five and took hold of the five arrows that shot out from her arrow container. This one was marked with a gray feather which had large letters printed in red on it saying "CAT ARR".

The next arrows she wanted, she could already identify by name. "Explosive 5, Deflect 5, Ice 5." Fifteen arrows with three different colored feather tips shot out of the containers and she left them there for use. She picked her head up and heard a hissing sound, mechanical formations and something clicking. She drew Deflect and shot it behind her just in time for it to block a reddish flame. Satsuki could see Gokudera behind all that red flame, he was using the Flame Arrow Cannon strapped on his left arm.

Satsuki sprinted away and took base on the highest cube in the arena, she could clearly see Gokudera from there and didn't waste time to let loose two Explosive. It came spiralling down on Gokudera and he countered it by shooting out Sun Flame Ammunitions. It shot out at such high speed that the impact and explosion were loud and clear, she wondered if people outside could hear. She didn't have time to think when Gokudera shot out of the smoke and raised his arm again with a smirk, she fumbled with an arrow, saw that the feather was gray and released her rosy flame from her hand, travelling down the arrow and let it fly. It shot and stopped in mid air then exploded into silver particles. It was a Cataratta arrow.

The silver particles blew towards Gokudera and he cursed. His eyes were becoming blurry and his vision getting darker. He was aware this would only last a few minutes but he didn't like wasting time. He shifted his cannon and activated Cloud Flame Ammunition. He went into a shooting frenzy, the ammunition spreading all over the arena and exploding at various points. Satsuki was too late to dodge one and it hit her leg, leaving the upper portion in a slightly bloody mess.

Seeing the blood was more of a surprise than pain. She hadn't seen her own blood in years. She stood for a while looking at it drip on the floor and didn't know if it was a good or bad sign that she smiled a little. "Now you're getting it, bakadera." Five bombs were still homing on her and she jumped, backed herself in a corner, pulling a Deflect from her bow and waited until the bombs were a few seconds away to shoot.

"No time to breathe!"

Gokudera had recovered from the momentary blindness and was suddenly a few cubes in front of Satsuki holding out his arm. The skull cannon opened it's mouth and fired a red flame infused with static. "Eat my Flame Thunder!" Satsuki positioned an Ice arrow above her shoulder and had to close one eye for good aim. She let it loose and thought that it wouldn't work when the flames swallowed her arrow but in a moment, the whole beam froze over starting from the front and down to Gokudera's arm. She jumped up the ice and quickly drew an Explosive with a grin as she slid down the ice towards a slightly shocked Gokudera. A few meters away from him and she thought she had the win, then she saw him smirk and at the same time her arrow flew towards him, Gokudera threw two dynamites straight at her.

The pain was inevitable when both their weapons came into contact with their target. Satsuki didn't know how far she got thrown off but knew that her back was aching and that her forehead was dripping with crimson. On closer look she found that she was thrown towards a cube and it stopped her from going any further but that had severely given her a massive headache. She groaned and stood shakily, one hand pressing on the the cube wall to stop her from crumpling into a heap on the floor. She had no idea where Gokudera was and just how much damage had gotten to him.

They both knew that she was no match for him. A guardian with a ring. In all honesty Gokudera could have gotten rid of her if he had only used his Version X gear, but he wanted a fair fight. This was a spar, not a war. The cubes and structures clicked and they disappeared down to the floor, the arena was now empty. She looked around and stifled a laugh when she saw Gokudera spread eagle on the floor, side bleeding profusely. She limped over and looked down at him who had an expressionless face.

"You blasted off my side, you shit."

If she wasn't in so much pain she would have laughed right then and there but her head was pounding and her leg was aching. She crouched down next to him and hovered her hand above the broken side, her hand glowing a rosy pink. Slowly, the tendons and bones that were obliterated began regrowing and restructuring themselves. The process was a rather gruesome one to watch but she was used to it and saw muscle tissues cover up the bones and finally Gokudera's outer skin covering the red flesh. He sat up almost immediately and flexed his sides and tried pinching it.

"Good as new..."

He mumbled as if he hadn't seen it before. Satsuki was now even more dizzier than before, she never realized it but using the healing ability was something that slowly drained her of her energy.

"Shit. I forgot you can't use it on yourself." Gokudera muttered taking a good look at the beat up girl. Indeed it was true that her healing ability was something that did not work on herself. She tried it once, but it never got through to her own body and her wounds had to heal on their own. "Well at least you're a little back to your senses." Satsuki froze and her eyes widened in slight surprise, noticing the fact that she had not felt this alive in such a long while but more surprising was that Gokudera had actually meant for her to do this. She let the smile creeping up her face show and she shrugged. "Do you always come here?" She asked, genuinely not knowing.

"What the hell do you think I do in this place? Sleep? Of course I come down here." Gokudera scoffed as if it was the normal thing. "Baseball head uses this too. Discipline Freak likes to destroy his own room. Lawn Head runs around the mansion fifty times a day and destroys the walls sometimes." She felt bad because she didn't know any of this. Had she become that distant to not know how her family operated? Deep inside her something sparked, and she felt happy again. These people were just like her. Fighting was something that couldn't be tamed and put down in a short time. They didn't want a war, they didn't want bloodshed and she finally understood that what she wanted was not a bad thing. She just wanted the feeling of being able to protect her family, the feeling that gave her strength and the sensation in her veins when she was fighting for something.

"Tsuna and Lambo? What do they do?" She asked, suddenly curious. Gokudera stood and scoffed, "Tenth diligently does his paperwork. He has to be an example of peace!" He shouted as if outraged that Satsuki had even asked such a thing. "That annoying cowhead sleeps outside during thunderstorms." Satsuki didn't want to know what Mukuro could be doing inside his own world and asked no more questions.

The mechanical doors of the training arena slid open smoothly before Satsuki could sincerely thank Gokudera for pulling her out of her reverie and she heard footsteps approaching at a fast pace, running. "Satsuki! Gokudera!" Gokudera instantly perked up at the sound of Tsuna's urgent voice. "Boss!" He grinned and puffed his chest out. A proud boy showing off his beaten and worn out trophy. "Oh you've healed him already." Tsuna said, rather unsusrprised.

Satsuki laughed a little and stood, hand pressing down on her bleeding forehead. "You shouldn't be so...violent, Gokudera." Tsuna said to which Gokudera nodded at eagerly, "I wasn't! She's still alive!" Tsuna sighed and sent a sheepish smile towards Satsuki. She nodded in agreement and smiled, "It was a good spar but I think I have to go to the infirmary right now. They haven't had enough trouble there lately." She joked and excused herself from the two but Tsuna came running after her in the hallway.

"I'll walk you there." He smiled, his face relaxing into a comfortable smile. Throughout ten years Tsuna's features had become more mature and if Satsuki was to compare him to a picture she once saw of Giotto, they almost had the same aura and almost the same eyes. Calm, gentle and kind eyes. In ten years, it seems as if Tsuna had entered a permanent Hyper Dying Will mode.

"Ah, by the way, Satsuki-chan." She tilted her head towards him, seeing him scratch the back of his head. "Train with me sometime. Paperwork becomes frustrating."

So Gokudera was lying about the paperwork after all.


	4. Red

A/N : I'm on a roll. Cinnamon roll. Haha. Just kidding.

Reviews turn into cookies so I eat them up and gobble them up. No one's giving me any though =_= **Yuki-shi-chan** loves me best XD 3 Cookies for you. First five reviews were from her and **YAYfanfics101** and **Romance-Oubliee **(Angsty it is at first XD I think it gets better through chapters). Hurrah~!

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"So our leader is still pining for Kyoko-chan?"

One of the gossiping nurses asked while she tightened the bandage around Satsuki's head. Satsuki fumed at all the questions she was getting. The nurses in the infirmary weren't blind to good looks and to the apparent distaste of Satsuki, the Vongola men were not only good at fighting but they were good at breaking hearts without meaning to.

She just nodded at every question, answered a short "Yeah.", "Mmhmm.", "That's Right.", "No question about it." And she didn't even know what they were asking anymore. She assumed it was because no one had been around the infirmary in a long while so they chattered like girls having a sleepover. Tsuna had walked her all the way to the infirmary and would have accompanied her inside if his phone didn't ring. Satsuki watched him as he flipped his phone open and panicked, reverting back to his "No-Good Tsuna" times.

"Arrggghhhhh! I forgot I promised Kyoko-chan to help with something!"

He apologized profusely and excused himself, running like the wind with his suit tie billowing at the speed he was going. For once she admitted to herself that something was drawing her to Tsuna, hence the slight twinge and knot in her stomach when she saw him run to Kyoko like the wind. Once Satsuki was patched up, bandage on her leg and head and given painkillers, she made her way to her room again.

Almost immediately when she stepped into the quiet place where her thoughts were too loud to be confined, she started thinking about her family. Orfeo. Documents. Massacre. Reason. She stepped out again and wondered where she could go to occupy herself. What did the girls do in their free time? She noticed that she wasn't much of a girl as Kyoko and Haru, maybe it was time to start acting a little bit more of a lady but she remembered that Tsuna would most probably be with Kyoko at this time, so she passed the option of looking for her or Haru.

"Oi. Herbivore."

She turned around cautiously and saw that Hibari was glaring at her. She evaluated her luck and noticed that she'd been bumping into the Vongola guardians of late. Some of them were hard to come by and here Hibari was, gracing her with his presence. The dark air around Hibari became heavier when he poked around his pocket and took out the little ball of feathers. He held it in his hand and held it out to her. Satsuki was floored. What was he trying to do? The bird stood on its fragile legs and started singing the Namimori School Theme, something that it annoyingly didn't forget even after all that time.

"Hibari... I've heard this song countless times and-"

He shot her a look that said 'shut up or i'll bite you to death' and so she did. Blinking at the yellow bird. The song finished and Satsuki was left there standing, now knowing what to do. She lifted her arms halfway and pondered if she was supposed to clap and if that was what Hibari wanted but she was dumbstruck on what the bird said next, "It's difficult, Shamal."

Satsuki paled and she knew she had forgotten how to breathe when her heart skipped a beat. She backed away a little from Hibari with a forced smile and laugh. "Ahaha... You can't be sure it's me, right, Hibari-san?" Her formalities suddenly skyrocketed and he gave Hibari as much respect as she could. Hibari smirked and put the bird back in his pocket, he fumbled around in his other pocket quite a bit before taking out Roll. That innocent looking hedgehog that was peacefully sleeping in his hand. Satsuki gulped and took another few steps back.

"Stupid herbivore. You're the only one closely associated with that illegal doctor."

"Hold on... Put Roll away first and we can... We can talk about this."

"...Your face changed." Satsuki perked up and knew that Hibari was making fun of her fear of him. That hedgehog was dangerous but Hibari was even more dangerous and she would at all costs avoid the Cloud Guardian just like he would avoid Sakura blossoms. Her face must have painted an amusing picture for him because he grinned and stuck the hedgehog down his pocket again. Then turned his back on her. "The baby heard it."

She was out of danger, for now. "What do you mean? Reborn?" He didn't turn around but he started walking away as he replied, "He found the bird. Knows its difficult." He stopped halfway down the hall and turned his head to her, stabbing her with a glare. "Do it again and I'll bite you to death, herbivore." Satsuki slumped her shoulders and sighed. She hadn't meant for the bird to copy what she said, she hadn't the mind to think that it would nor did she see it lurking around her. The notion that Reborn knew she was having difficulty with something meant that Reborn's trick in the training arena was not a coincidence. Had Reborn told the others that she was struggling with her past? She guessed not. Gokudera was just a sharp genius who could see through people and Reborn would keep the information to himself to have the pleasure of torturing her.

Now she was left alone in the hall again. The mansion was so big that she didn't even know where to start looking for something to do but as if her prayers were answered, a red light filled the hall and the alarms went off. The sirens and the red warning lights lit the hallway up. On instinct, she drew her bow from her back and pressed her mechanical arrow container open.

Satsuki's heart was suddenly pounding. What was happening? One year of peace without a hitch and then the alarms blare out of nowhere. Perhaps she asked for too much when she said her life was getting boring and she needed something to do. She never meant for the Gods to give her a hell of a time. The announcement system started to come to life and a mechanical voice started speaking. "Unknown entity has breached security. Unknown entity has breached security." Her system watch crackled and a voice came out from it, she identified it as Giannini, lead engineer of Vongola. "Satsuki, Take exit B-04, enemy is reaching at high speed near the mansion wall. You're the nearest to it."

She was confused for a while. Exit B-04. Where was exit B-04? Right? Left? Once upon a time she knew the emergency exits by heart but now she was lost. She guessed that Giannini had her on the map because he started shouting commands at her. "Left! It's to the left Satsuki! Okay keep going... There, you're on the right track." She sprinted forward and saw the familiar metal panel. There was a square to put her palm face down and an eye scanner to gain her access through the door. Her mechanical communicator screeched again, this time it was Tsuna speaking.

"Don't go out! You're injured!" His voice was urgent and he seemed to be trying to shout over the red sirens. She ignored him. Tsuna had yet to master the etiquette and procedures of giving orders. It took him a while to comprehend that he was missing something in the code but it was already too late, she was already out when he talked again "I order you to stay within the mansion, Satsuki!" Sometimes the ordering thing made her laugh. When rightly worded, Tsuna sounded like a dad grounding his daughter.

She drew her bow and Giannini spoke up again. "200 meters away. I still don't know what it is, the scanners are processing the images." Satsuki rotated the watch and spoke to the bow and arrow system "Deflect 5, Explosive 5" Ten arrows popped out from the container and she drew an explosive one first. She positioned the lone arrow, across the bow and pulled back, keeping it in place ready to fire it. "Position changed! It's swerving to your left." She cursed and moved her aim a little to her left. "Now at 50 meters." The signal crackled and Tsuna's voice started to talk over Giannini's. It was a flurry of words, she didn't know who to listen to.

"Stay put! Stay put!" Tsuna panted, his footsteps echoing. "30 meters. You're aiming right. It won't be long now..." She steadied her hands and her eyes darted around. "20 meters. I'm getting an image." Her eyes squinted, something was rustling above the trees nearby. "10 more meters... It's- Satsuki.. Move to your right! Right!" Satsuki gasped when something on her right broke through, flying above the trees. She barely had time to move towards her right when it turned to her, batting its black eyes at her and staring into her soul.


	5. Spy

A/N : To be honest I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Bahahahaha. I'll figure it out eventually. I got lots of cookies :3 (well enough for me anyways) Thanks guys.

**YAYfanfics101**, yes the flame is something that would have to be revealed much much later on. But I'm glad you caught on to that.

* * *

The whole family, save for Kyoko and Haru, were seated around the wide, white washed table of the engineer's meeting room. The mechanisms of Vongola allowed it so that each department had a head and would conduct meetings from time to time. If a problem was ever found, that was the only time it was brought up to the boss, Tsunayoshi Sawada.

"Well at least we're all safe huh?" The wide toothed grin Yamamoto let out while chuckling was something anticipated by everyone. He just had to do it every time something didn't turn out as they quite expected it. Chrome tilted her head to the side, clutching the trident close to her stature. There was a cage on the middle of the table in which a pudgy bird, wings the color of grey skies alerting rain streaked with the occasional white.

"Are you an idiot?! Who knows how many of these things are out there!" Gokudera blew up, like he always did when Yamamoto said something. Tsuna was somewhere down the table, chin propped up by his folded hands, eyes trained over at the caged bird. It was Hibari that stood and grunted, "Herbivores wasting my time…" His chair screeched back and Satsuki finally lifted her head up from its lying position on the table and looked at Hibari curiously. On the other end, Gokudera and Yamamoto continued bickering while Lambo was trying to get Chrome's attention. Ryohei was the one bothering the bird and tapping on its cage incessantly.

To sum it all up, no one had any idea what to do and it was only at that time when Hibari was halfway out of the room approaching the door out that Tsuna spoke up, "Hibari-san, it will just be a moment." The addressed man grunted, stopped in his place and turned, placing his eyes on Tsuna's which stared back at his. Tsuna smiled a small one and gave a curt nod before looking back at the bird.

It was as if a silent command was made. Everyone was suddenly back to their seats and quiet. Satsuki, feeling guilty that she was slumped over the table, half-asleep, straightened her back to sit properly. "Let's wait a while. Giannini's getting the data." As calm as he possibly could, Tsuna reached out to the cage and peered down at the bird.

"In the mean time, it shouldn't be a problem knowing if there are other birds like these. Metal components aren't difficult to find with a detector." He leaned forward in such fluid motions, his suit creasing at just the right places. Satsuki felt another of those heart clenching moments, one where she had difficulty breathing. Watching him being the boss he is sometimes stirred something in her. There was something about his calm that pulled at her heart. "It would have gotten away if Reborn didn't tell me to shoot it down..." Satsuki muttered, remembering the earlier scene in which she was thoroughly confused at.

Indeed there was an invader that breached the security scans. Someone that was unknown to the system. Satsuki was prepared to shoot it down, she remembered her heart beating when it broke through the trees, remembered gasping and laying her bow and arrow down. A mockingbird. A tiny little thing that flew up and down and around her and was about to fly away when Reborn's voice crackled through the communicator system on her wrist "Shoot it! Don't let it get away!" She was alarmed but did as told. Reborn was almost always never wrong. She didn't have the heart to shoot it and if she did, eight out of ten chances it would have missed such a small and restless thing. She abruptly called for a Net Arrow and shot it at the bird's direction. Moments later, Tsuna came panting out of the bushes from the other side of the mansion, flame activated. Panic was written in his face but it died down when he saw the trapped bird. The two of them stood there contemplating what to do, until Giannini had mentioned that it was not a normal bird. It was a tracker. Its eyes miniature cameras used to capture footage.

They were all in the room for a meeting because it was as much of a threat as an attack. Satsuki shivered at the thought, remembering birds of the same color chirping around at her window when morning came around. Those couldn't have been watching her all that time, could they? In fact, she was not the only one who was fond of the early morning visitors. Although Satsuki kept them out, Kyoko had mentioned that she opened her windows in the mornings and put bird seeds on the pane. Lambo was also one that liked the outdoors. Apparently, birds liked to perch and peck on his horns. Whether those birds were trackers, no one knew as of now.

"The most important thing to know is where it came from... and what they want from us." That was another topic bordering danger. Another war at the horizon. That, or maybe it was just a stray experiment. Something that the owners didn't mean to fly at the direction of the Vongola. It looked as much like a bird than anything else. It was warm to the touch, chirped when irritated and pecked when provoked, as if it had no idea that it was a tool. Whoever made it was the definition of technological advancement. Giannini was quite disappointed at such a well made mechanism.

"Here are the documents, Tsuna-sama!" The doors to the examination room slid open from both sides and Giannini came wobbling in with bunches of paper clutched in his hands. He put it down in the middle of the table and snatched the bird cage in his arms. "Fascinating, fascinating creation..." He went into his own world of wires and bolts, muttering about how opening it up and seeing how the thing worked would do wonders for his knowledge. He momentarily snapped out of his daze to explain the stack of stapled papers.

Chrome leaned forward to take one booklet and everyone followed suit. The front was a picture of the bird on all sides. It was peculiar how much it resembled the actual mockingbird. There was not much of a difference. Giannini cleared his throat, "If you would all turn to page six, please." A shuffle of papers, sounds of curiosity. Hibari was the only one not holding the paper and Gokudera had ignored Giannini's emphasis of the sixth page, still looking at the second page.

"I took the bird in for a quick scan..." Giannini started and pulled on his suit. It must have been his first time in a long time to talk to a wide audience in the presence of the Tenth Boss. "Found that it had metal components but you all know that already." He cleared his throat and continued, "There is a mechanical chip that is used to store the footage. This means that whatever this thing sees," he held the cage up like it was a prize, "is recorded and stored for whoever wants the information back. Everything it sees, the owner sees."

"Not a real time footage?" Satsuki didn't know when Reborn had graced them with his presence but he was suddenly on the table next to Tsuna's arm. "No. Not real time footage. Recorded and saved for later viewing." Giannini turned and started to walk back to the examination room. "Now gentlemen," Chrome and Satsuki gave him a reproachful look, "...and ladies. I'll be back in a moment to see what footage our little friend has for us." He disappeared to what could only be his research haven and left the lot around the table.

Tsuna let out a barely audible sigh. Looking through the papers, he had found that most of it was explanation of what each part did. Nothing he was interested in, except the camera mechanism. He found out, reading the booklet, that it had a zoom function. How did the zoom function work? He furrowed his brows and read further. The booklet emphasized that if there was a zoom function, the bird would have to have a target. A zoom function would not be necessary and would be arbitrary if a camera did not have a set target. Giannini wrote that "it was just a speculation" but the camera already had a pre-programmed target and a zoom function was needed to keep a closer eye and get a closer look at said target. When Tsuna looked up, Yamamoto was the only one looking back at him, reading the same page and wearing a worried smile on his face.

"Who's goddamned phone is that?" Gokudera bellowed. Satsuki didn't have to look to know that it wasn't hers. The others fumbled in their pockets and slowly shook their heads. "Ciaossu, Shamal." Reborn held a phone that was too big for him. He stood in front of it and talked to it as if it was a person his size. "Hmmm?" The baby said, and turned to Satsuki who straightened up, feeling Reborn's prickling gaze on her. She hoped Shamal had not blabbered anything to the kid. "Documents, huh?" Satsuki tried not to show the apprehension in her face. The trickle of shock that went up her spine. A short 'beep' and the conversation ended. Reborn walked towards the center of the table, "I'm taking Satsuki after the meeting is over." Reborn piped up.

Tsuna blinked, processing the information that had just passed. "Wha...? Where to?" Vongola was a family. He thought. If one went, the others would follow. His brows furrowed and he looked at Reborn, meeting his trainer's gaze without faltering. Reborn had been telling Tsuna not to bother with Satsuki's matters. But what were Satsuki's matters? Now that he thought about it, he knew nothing about the girl. Only that she had always been there for him whenever he needed aid. She had always been there for anyone who needed help, at the brink of dying and she always brought them back. Alive. It was only lately that he realized he felt apologetic at his lack of interaction with her. Somehow he felt... What was the right word for it? Sad? Empty? Melancholic? Guilty?

"She needs something over at Shamal's." Did she really? Tsuna thought. Was there something that this house and family couldn't give her? Something he couldn't provide to her? He felt that as the boss, he had a right to know. He had the responsibility of knowing where and what his subordinates were up to, how they were doing. "Then I'll go too." It was brash and a split second decision. Tsuna stared at Reborn and knew that the baby was about to decline, about to say "no". Reborn had been keeping Satsuki away for too long. Tsuna would not have any of it anymore.

"If Tenth is going then I am too!" Gokudera piped up, standing from his seat. "Ah, can I tag along too?" Yamamoto grinned at Satsuki. She almost forgot how much these people were so loyal to Tsuna. Like a dog's tail attached to its body. "If Satsuki-chan is going... I want to go." Lambo winked and Chrome nodded from beside him, small smile showing. Or was it really Tsuna they were following? It was only at that time she realized that Yamamoto was asking her and not Tsuna if he could tag along. "Let's all go!" Ryohei pumped a fist into the air as if it was a vacation they were planning. Satsuki smiled and shook her head a little, knowing that Reborn would disapprove.

"You can decide... When you've seen the footage." All was silent for a moment. The sound of doors sliding open indicated that Giannini was back again with a small chip, his face was clearly concerned and grave. It only took one look to see that whatever he had watched was not a good shot. Despite his clearly uncomfortable demeanor, he waved his hands a certain pattern and the lights dimmed. He touched a panel next to the door and a white screen came down along with a projector appearing from the ceiling. There was a small compartment in which to put the chip in. He hesitated and spoke, his voice wavering. "I-I... I should warn you that it's not all a pleasant sight." He slid the chip in and the white screen flashed with colors of green.


	6. Swap

A/N : I center too much on Satsuki... but since she is the OC and this is her story... Hahahaha... I don't know. I'll work it out along the way. XD

This chapter has much more symbolism and it's really vague. Not sure I liked the way I wrote it :S It's weird. Really weird.

* * *

The forest. For minutes the footage only showed green. Green grass. Green leaves. Green bushes. Then there was a break, a blinding light that indicated there was a change. The mansion came into view and the next thing everyone saw was brown. Brown hair. Long brown hair.

Kyoko. Kyoko. Kyoko. Every shot was of Kyoko. There was the occasional blank shot but whenever Kyoko was in sight, it took its chance to capture. Even at a distance, there was a zoom function. Windows closed, Kyoko asleep and the panning in of the camera. Captured.

Satsuki shivered. What was this madness? A stalker? It seemed to be more severe than that. Every waking moment of Kyoko. Yawning, smiling at the window, giving bird seeds. Then she would disappear for breakfast. Even then, it attempted to follow. There was a shift in scenery, indicating that the camera had tried to detect her again. It was successful but only barely. There was not a good shot of Kyoko at the dining table from the nearest tree by the window. At night when she sat at her room combing her hair, talking with Haru and I-pin and sometimes Chrome. Chrome made a sound of disappointment at seeing herself in the footage.

Then the sickest part. In every bedroom of the mansion there was a bathroom and in every bathroom there was a small square of a window to help ventilation. Kyoko had a habit of starting herself a warm bath every night. The warm water would fog up the bathroom and steam was the first thing that came on the screen. It cleared, slowly and a body was barely visible in all that fog. The outline of the body became more prominent, showing that it was a woman and then… It was Ryohei who smashed the chip compartment with a loud, resounding crack. It wasn't a surprise that the table almost caved in. The screen shot into a panic of static before dying down to a black silence.

Reborn tipped his hat to his front. To be honest he hadn't expected the footage to have been so…unsettling. He had expected something of a lighter nature. That, and the target was not who he thought it would be. He allowed his eyes to flash for a split second towards Satsuki. Reading the shocked and frightened face she wore. Reborn cleared his throat and as if nothing happened, stated, "Well, Satsuki and I should be going."

"Wha…? But… I… Isn't it a bad time to leave…?" Satsuki turned towards the Arcobaleno, eyes in a panic. How could she leave at such a crucial time? It was clear they were after Kyoko. Whatever sick plan the tracker had in mind was working but he made a mistake of provoking the whole family. A crash resounded again in the room and Satsuki's head flew to the direction of a rage consumed Ryohei.

"Stop it lawn-head!" Chrome winced at the loud crashes and voices. Never had she seen Ryohei so enraged to not be able to control himself. Gokudera was on his feet, grabbing Ryohei's arm only to be shoved away. There was a short panic when Yamamoto also stood, then Tsuna and when even that wasn't enough to calm him down, Reborn shot a Tranquility bullet through his head. Ryohei froze on his spot, eyes drooping and slumped forward into Yamamoto who was nearest to him.

"Settle this. We need to go." Impatience was a characteristic of Reborn. "No one's coming now, right? Satsuki has duties in other places as well." The said girl hated it when Reborn manipulated her. Put words in her mouth that she didn't even mean. She had no idea what the baby was talking about but he had mentioned the documents. The documents was enough, being selfish for a while was acceptable, she told herself. She wanted to know if those documents allowed her a peek to her troubled self and distant past. Something that she should have left behind a long time ago.

"What other duties could she have, Reborn? We might need her here at this time!" Tsuna's voice was panicked and Satsuki could tell that he had blurted them out without any thought. He was on the verge of shouting. The idea that he even allowed this to happen, to not have seen that something like this was threatening the family. Kyoko. The security wasn't enough and he didn't blame anyone except himself. "They clearly want something from us!"

"You're acting like a child again, dame-Tsuna." Reborn calmly let out. "But you realize now that you have to stay here and protect the family." The Vongola boss let out a shaky sigh and slowly but surely took in an amount of air to calm down, although not effectively.

"I know I have to stay but we need everyone here at this time! If we can maybe convince Xanxus... The Varia... And Satsuki she-"

"Do you really think this is such a big thing to have everyone involved, dame-Tsuna?"

A second of silence followed. The words pierced the room into silence.

"Just because Kyoko is affected… you become selfish? Another thing,"

Reborn lifted his head and looked directly at Tsuna, his small lips moving to explain to the young Vongola something that he had never thought of before.

"Satsuki does not belong to you Tsuna. She's not a Vongola guardian. She can come and go as she pleases."

Not a Vongola guardian. That much was true. She was physically a part of it but not tied to it in any other way. If anyone else had stated this fact, it would have been gone questioned by Gokudera. But no one would question Reborn. Reborn was like the pillar of the Vongola. One of the strongholds that kept it together and a big part of what it had become today.

Tsuna let his mentor's words sink in. Gradually, his shoulders slumped and the entirety of his words hit him. He was right. In fact no one in that room belonged to him. Not Gokudera, not Yamamoto and specially not Satsuki. As Vongola guardians, they had the responsibility of following the Vongola boss. Although it was something that Tsuna didn't like, he had control over his guardians. They were bound to him. But a non-guardian… Satsuki was always there that it felt like she was as much as a guardian than everyone else. He had forgotten that she wasn't.

"At least… At least let her decide on her own." Was the only thing Tsuna could say. Reborn had been making the decisions for her all this time. Nothing had actually come out of Satsuki's own lips. She was thankful at the least that Tsuna had granted her a choice.

She wasn't ashamed to say "I'm sorry." and bowed as a sign of courtesy. "I have to go… Reborn's right… I think Kyoko will be fine, with everyone here." Everyone meaning all of them minus her. "I promise to call when I'm done and I'll help… As soon as I can."

She wanted to go. If Shamal was involved and if there were documents involved… Then she should be every bit involved. She felt guilt creep up on her for leaving at such a time. The look on Tsuna's face stabbed her inside. Shock that floated with varying emotions of apology and confusion.

He took her presence for granted. That was the first thing that came into Tsuna's mind. He was almost sure that she would have stayed but he had less of a hold on her than he thought. The second thing in his mind was loss. It wasn't a secret that she was keeping a fair distance from the family, he didn't know when it started but she was on that road now. She drifted away, further away and now she had her back turned to them, step by step closing the distance between her and the door out.

The door shut tight and she was completely gone from their mafia world. They would have to do without her now. It shouldn't be too bad. "Giannini…" Tsuna started, his mind now clearly working after a well worded lecture from Reborn. "I think you need to step up the security system around." He didn't sound disappointed in the least but he shot a smile towards the engineer who saluted. "Also, have the chip analyzed. I want to know where it's from."

Gokudera stood in silence as the boss he admired started to give out orders. He was slightly in his own world at that point, connecting lines and dots. There was something weird in this whole setup. He couldn't put his finger on it. He looked over at the smashed pieces of the chip compartment. That chip was stern and made with impeccable geniuses. Out of the rubble, it was still in one piece and unharmed, the creator must have put a lot of thought into it and really wanted the footage to come back safe.

Tsuna had just ordered Gokudera to patrol the perimeter of the mansion. This was his chance to get things straight. He did as told, now wandering around the mansion and piecing his thoughts together. His phone was in his pocket. He could feel it against his thigh as he walked. For minutes he walked and surveyed the area and for minutes he contemplated on the call he wanted to place.

He swore under his breath and rummaged through his pocket to finally take it out, dialing that number he had never before attempted to call. Shamal was getting a lot of attention these days, it seems.

"Another one of my pupil calls. Sorry, I only talk to girls."

"What are these documents?"

"Classified information."

"... If you can tell me... There were some annoying girls in the bar I went to last week... Said they wanted someone to-"

"Deal."

Gokudera grinned in triumph.


	7. Someone Knows

A/N : Yes I know. It was a long wait eh? Hahaaaaa. Well not really but I was busy with moving into the dorm and all. University life heating up =)) Thank you so much for the review guys! 3 Be patient with me cause my social life (and my life as a whole) is about to go craaayyyyyyzayyyy~~

This is a shorter chapter, but it serves as a bridge to the main plot. Ya know what I'm talkin' bout?! Yeaaaaa~~

* * *

Breakfast today was another lively occasion. The usual bantering, kicking and shouting of the whole family was present. It was as if nothing had ever happened at all. Ryohei was energetic as always and Kyoko was as unsuspecting as ever.

The view outside the window was clear. The tree that was once blocking the view of the sky had been taken down. All it needed was an X-Burner and five minutes. Tsuna smiled a little at the eccentricities of his family. Wild, bizarre, uncontrollable yet at the other end loyal, fun and familiar, if any one of them was even the slightest bit different from who they are now, it wouldn't be the same.

"Hm…?" Tsuna wondered out loud although it was drowned by his family's own chattering. His lips before he could stop himself, before he could realize he was asking a funny question. "Where's Satsu…ki…?" Tsuna's voice dwindled and he was thankful none of them—save for Gokudera and Yamamoto who were sitting at his sides—heard him.

"She'll be alright, she's with Reborn!" Yamamoto smiled, eating a piece of toast while Gokudera ignored the whole thing. Gokudera had his own thoughts flitting about in his head. He needed to find out about that troublesome girl.

He wouldn't have noticed his phone ringing if it didn't have the vibrate function, that's how noisy it was during breakfast, lunch or dinner. If Gokudera himself was in the mood, he might've not noticed the phone vibrating at all. He wasn't a man of excuses nor manners, so he stood without a word and left, jaw motioning up and down while chewing eggs, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

"I can't tell you about it, after all."

He swallowed and glared at the wall, imagining it was his perverted old mentor.

"I told you, the girls at the bar are waiting."

There was a pause then a groan, "Satsuki's put her trust in me not to tell anyone."

"That doesn't sound like you at all old pervert." Gokudera almost grinned at the thought of his mentor pinned and held down by one woman. It was impossible.

"If I give you the information…" The doctor cleared his throat, trying to be professional. "You would have to hand me over those girls and… you don't tell anyone. Not Satsuki. Not your sister… Not the boss." Gokudera scoffed. The hell he would tell his sister, he couldn't even look at her. As for Satsuki, he was planning on avoiding the girl anyway. But the boss… Now the boss, Tsuna, was another thing.

"You won't find out even if I tell them." The bomber replied with a slight smirk but the smug chuckle on the other end surprised him. "I will know, Hayato. Because the moment you tell someone about this… it will be a disaster. Someone will want to do something." A second to take in some breath, "That includes you. I'm warning you, once I tell you this… You can't act on your own. You have to act normal, especially in front of the girl."

Gokudera was now wondering what was it that made it so serious. He hadn't expected for the girl to hold so many secrets and be so much trouble. He scoffed and shrugged and glared again at a nearby wall. "I got it, perverted old man." He finally said, sounding a tad bit resigned and thankfully, the doctor gave in this time. "...Alright... Listen closely cause I won't repeat it again, damn kid..." Shamal had murmured the last part but Gokudera was silenced by the following words, the following story and the following pictures that flitted in his mind.

That was how the phone call became the longest one Gokudera ever had.

llllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllll

Later that night Yamamoto was already quietly in bed, arms behind his head and pondering things while looking at the ceiling. So far nothing had happened and Giannini's report on the tracker bird would have to wait till late tomorrow morning. At around this time it was usually quiet. So when the swordsman heard footsteps outside his door, loud and clear and gradually fading out, he knew something was different tonight.

He sat up in his bed and grabbed his sword, pushing the button for his door to slide open and once he was out in the light of the hall. Gokudera was paces ahead. Yamamoto knew the bomber's senses were sharp and that he had heard him come out from the room but the silver haired guardian didn't turn for a look. Instead he kept going and Yamamoto followed until they reached the training room.

Training at this time was quite odd. They could do it at several intervals in the morning. Yamamoto didn't utter a word, he could be cheerful sometimes but he knew when to be sensitive. He stepped into the training arena along with Gokudera and as if a silent decision was made, they were suddenly in their fighting stances and knew what the other wanted. This was a form of stress release.

Their attacks started lightly and as minutes passed they were merely a blur in the training arena. Fast as they could move an untrained eye would never be able to follow. Explosions here, slashes there. The storm growing angrier and the rain pattering down harder. Hours later and blood was involved, Yamamoto started to notice that Gokudera was being rougher than usual. Their box weapons were activated, almost every technique used and their finishers on the ready. A flash of red and blue collided, pushed and roared with the wind each guardian trying to out win the other.

There was something pushing Gokudera. It fueled Gokudera so greatly that the red flame overpowered the blue one. Yamamoto jumped back, dug his feet and sword on the floor as he got pushed back by the force. The rubble and smoke cleared. They were only left to stand and look at the damage they had done to each other.

"Well... Nice fight. You've been practicing lately?" Yamamoto tried with a light smile, wiping away the blood and barely feeling the pain he was supposed to feel with those wounds on his legs. When Gokudera didn't answer Yamamoto decided that he was in a bad mood and shrugged, trying to lighten the mood, "Well, Satsuki does come in handy doesn't she? She'd heal my mess in a second."

The swordsman looked up at the tightened fist of his companion, the way his face contorted into anger and then back to confusion. All at once, the storm guardian turned and left without an utter, without even a whisper to what was on his mind. Yamamoto couldn't quite guess if he had said something wrong or if the man had a bad day. None the less, he'd have to take a trip to the infirmary before going to sleep tonight.


	8. Similarities

A/N : shout out to **xKirixKurox **were you waiting for this chapter? Hahaha~~

Basically this chapter opens up a little of the mystery but this is where it gets a little complicated. Stay with me XD

* * *

Giannini was quite embarrassed at his predicament. He'd spent a whole day on the chip and the mechanical bird, analyzing it for all he was worth. It was the second day now, he had delayed the information for—he glanced at the clock—almost eight hours now.

The engineer knew the boss wouldn't mind. Tsunayoshi Sawada was a kind man that didn't pressure his family but Giannini knew that Tsuna wanted the information as soon as possible, even though the boss didn't badger him for it. He sighed at his work, all he had found was the serial numbers of the chip. Any amount of looking wouldn't point them to the owner, even if they had the serial number. He was sure those chips weren't manufactured for sale, they were just for personal use.

So it was already late in the afternoon when he called for a meeting and looking apologetic in front of the guardians and the boss himself, stated, "I tried my best to find something, all I found was the serial number. I've ran tests on it and nothing…" He bent his head down when the room filled with silence. Spanner, who usually stayed out of Giannini's business as they were so called "rivals" looked up from his position on the wall.

"It's true. He's tried his best and so have I. There's no way for now, of knowing where it's from. It'll take a while. It's not impossible but it'll take a while." The blonde haired man slurred and walked closer to the table, surveying the chip carefully placed in a glass container. It was such an enigma. No trace of the owner yet programmed to fly back to its creator with the footage. Genius intelligence indeed.

"You've done your best. Thank you." Tsuna said lightly with a small smile that instead of making Giannini feel better, made him feel more embarrassed. He hadn't done his job properly but he vowed that he would. "In the meantime, the securities are still up, right?" Giannini straighted up and with full confidence answered "Yes!" Tsuna nodded and waved at the other guardians. Chrome was not here today as well as Hibari. Chrome to be tracking Kyoko's every move and Hibari was just… Hibari. "The guardians are doing their best as well. There's nothing to worry about right now. If they need something from us…" Tsuna folded his hands, "…They'll come and we'll be prepared."

His voice was half pleasant and a tad bit menacing. The type of voice a kind teacher would have when annoyed and when patience was wearing thin. There was a ringing sound in the room. Lately, it seemed that phone calls were a common thing with the family. It was more unsettling however, that Gokudera was the only one getting the calls. The said man nodded to Tsuna as permission to be excused and trudged out the door.

Tsuna couldn't help thinking that Gokudera had something in his mind. It wasn't often that Gokudera got phone calls and Tsuna's suspicions were only confirmed when he dismissed the meeting, came out of the room and saw Gokudera clutching the phone so tightly, hands almost white that Tsuna was afraid it would break.

* * *

Shamal was an honest man. He was perverted and liked girls a lot more than he should but he wouldn't lie about important things. Yes, he'd lie about eating the cookies in the cookie jar and would tell girls that he was 20 and never been kissed but when it came down to it he wouldn't lie if someone's life was in danger nor would he lie if someone was dying. Slowly dying, maybe.

"So… All this time… I've been killing myself?" Satsuki's voice reverberated through the clinic room. Reborn was silent on one side while Shamal had stepped out of the clinic a while ago, claiming to have a phone call from one of his "girls". The documents were in her hands. She hadn't read them yet. She was more interested in what this man was saying.

Matteo Milton was 23 years old. When he came around to Shamal's office looking for an Orfeo, Shamal knew that the documents the young man was holding were the ones that caused the death of Satsuki's family.

"Yes. While saving others, you've been killing yourself. The flame, you see, it's just your energy manifested and—"

"That's why her healing abilities won't work on herself…" The clinic door shut tight and Shamal stepped in again, seemingly to have heard the whole thing, phone in his hands and shoving it down his doctor's pocket. The doctor trailed off, piecing it together and sighing, shaking his head. "The energy is her own and since her body is so used to it, the healing doesn't have any effect."

Matteo's eyes squinted, his ebony hair spiked, looking almost like Yamamoto's but his face was stroked with a kind seriousness that reminded Satsuki of Tsuna. "…I guess you could say it like that." He rubbed his chin and smiled apologetically. "When you heal others, your energy passes on to them. You don't regenerate it. The flame, it's a special kind. It exhausts your body because you're not originally a flame user."

Satsuki slowly nodded and blinked down at the documents. To be frank, she didn't feel like she was dying. She didn't feel tired but she did acknowledge that year by year, her stamina depleted and she would get tired a little bit easier.

"So… am I going to die?" She was surprised at the chuckle Matteo gave out but was delighted he shook his head. "No. You're still stable. However, once you deplete your energy until nothing's left then… it's inevitable in that situation."

Satsuki sat down on the chair and put the documents on the desk. If she wasn't dying then it was fine. There was nothing to worry about yet. She flipped through the papers, ignoring the other three men in the room but she listened in on their conversation. Apprently, Shamal and Reborn were suspicious of the fine looking young man.

"Who did you say you were again?" Shamal pierced the young man with his gaze. "Milton. Matteo Milton. Fifth generation boss of the Famiglia Milton." Reborn tipped his hat up and gave the boy a once over, with his usual smile, asked "Milton? Never heard of it." There was a soft chuckle and a light hearted reply. "Yes. Small family. Not very well-known, you see."

"...and how did you get the documents?" This was a question that had long been thought of by Reborn but had never been asked. There was a light dragging sound made by a chair and Matteo sat on it, crossing his legs and propping his twined hands on top of it. "Just because Vongola is deemed most powerful family, doesn't mean that the whole mafia world is at peace." He gave out a smile that was somewhat of a cross between pain and gentleness. "Small mafia families struggle for positions too, war still goes on in some parts." The young man cleared his throat and continued rather flawlessly, not a trace of remorse in his face.

"A few weeks ago we attacked another family. Almost wiped them out, there's nothing left for them anymore. These documents were in their safe." It appeared as if Matteo was done talking. Shamal was evaluating the story but in the end he had to turn to Reborn for confirmation. Reborn stared at the young man, unblinking. The said young man was smiling kindly back at Reborn.

It was possible. Reborn thought. Small families were easy to wipe out. This was either because they were too small to grow through the next generation, too small to survive wars. Sometimes, small families refused to go on with mafia lineage, like Satsuki's Orfeo. This told Reborn something about Matteo and the fact that he was fifth generation boss. Milton could have been a small family but the fact that they had survived for five generations wasn't something to look down on.

"Why did you give the documents...? You could have hid it." All three men looked in surprise at Satsuki who was done sorting the papers. They weren't really of any use. It was just information about her. Birth certificate, her parents wedding license, the hospital she was born in, her records, these were information she already knew. There was one page however, that was faded in color. A slight yellowish stain on its edges and the middle a faded brown. It was stapled to another document but was torn off. Satsuki turned back in her chair, one arm over it and looking at Matteo who averted his eyes away from her.

"...I just wanted to help." That wasn't a good enough answer. It was suspicious and too short to dig into anything so Satsuki kept badgering him with questions, pressuring him to say more. "Why? What would you gain by helping me...? and how did you know about this... this ability? There's a missing paper here, where is it?" The questions were like a barrage. An attack. An accusation of things she wasn't sure about but the Milton was not fazed at all, he had expected that much.

Matteo sighed and stood, he stuck his hand in his pocket and took out a yellowish paper, the same texture of the one that was cleanly ripped off from the others. "I had your mentor," his eyes darted to Shamal, "look at the documents before you. But this," He held the yellowed paper in his hand, "this is something that you have to see before anyone else..." He handed it to her and she took it. Almost like a snake biting its prey in speed. She read the paper. Over and over again. Was this a kind of riddle? There were several lines of what seemed like a poem, she looked up to ask him again but he had beat him to it.

"The answer to your other questions are easy." For the first time since he came, there was a flicker of sadness in the young Milton's eyes, his gaze now trained to the window and the view outside. "I knew someone with the same flame as yours. I just don't want anyone else to suffer an... untimely death." Satsuki looked up at the young boy, something flashed in his eyes and she could not stop herself from asking. "Who was it...?"

The young man averted his gaze from the window and now looked straight, eye to eye with her. He let out a genuine, small smile and his face lit up with something that could only be admiration. "My mother."


	9. Attachment

A/N : I KNOW haha I didn't update for a while. Believe me, university has been a roller coaster ride. A very good one with a lot of ups. I met so many new friends I'm really happy... and BUSY XD So that's why~~

This is extra long =) Hope you enjoy it~ By the way, have fun deciphering the prophecy~ If you have any idea whatsoever or just theories on what it is, leave your idea on the review of what you think it is~ I'll have fun reading them and if you got one right I might tell you ;)

* * *

The yellow paper under Satsuki's hands felt rough. The effect of age showed clearly on it, the black ink that stained it almost faded. She unfolded it and it was quite large, words handwritten quite clumsily, as if the hand that wrote it had been weary with age just as the yellowing paper had. She scanned the paper once, twice and another time, only getting a brief idea of what it meant. So many sentences didn't make sense to her, it was like a crossword puzzle she could mull over for nights yet not get an answer on.

_**At the break of day in which age matches birth**_

_**The wheels shall turn and mark the start of rebirth**_

_**Beware the fire that burns her through**_

_**Count her lives and keep them few**_

_**A boy who is born on the longest month**_

_**Will be the first to know and be on the hunt**_

_**The month after this, another boy is born**_

_**The disappearance of the sun's rays he'll surely mourn**_

_**Beware her choices for there are but few**_

_**Make sure to choose the path that rings true**_

_**Have her choose one and she will live**_

_**Have her choose two then learn to forgive**_

_**The circle goes on only one way to repent**_

_**Wait for rebirth from heaven will descend**_

_**At the end of it all there is one more way**_

_**Anthony's eyes on Cleopatra's shall stain**_

Satsuki picked her head up and looked at Matteo, searching his eyes for any truth, any trickery and slyness. "Did you read this before?" She held the yellowing paper out with one hand and moved it away when Shamal had tried to snatch it from her. If it was Reborn who did it, she might have missed and allowed it to be taken. "Yes. My apologies, I've read everything on your document before." Matteo averted his gaze for a second and sent an apologetic smile her way. Satsuki could not detect any malice in his voice nor his eyes nor in the way he acted. He seemed true, he felt true but that was just how Satsuki felt about everyone. She wasn't good at detecting liars.

"What is it?" Satsuki asked, now handing the paper to Shamal who happily took it and started reading. "It's a prophecy, my mother had one as well." Matteo replied, loosening his tie. It was getting quite hot in the small clinic room. For four people, it seemed a little bit too crowded in there for him. "There is nothing obvious in yours except that the 'her' it mentions is you." The Milton boss stated.

Whilst they were talking among themselves Shamal had started to read the poem, or so called prophecy, like the boy said. If this was a prophecy then it meant that everything written on the paper would happen to Satsuki. There was one line that caught Shamal's eye and made sweat trickle down his back.

_**A boy who is born on the longest month**_

_**Will be the first to know and be on the hunt**_

Shamal had told Gokudera earlier in the morning about the circumstances surrounding Satsuki. Gokudera was first to know among the guardians, or was the prophecy talking about Shamal himself who had been the first to know? The longest month... What was the longest month? The first few sentences were already an enigma to the doctor, there was no chance that he'd be able to decipher the rest of them. He passed the paper to Reborn and contemplated by himself on what would happen now. Was it really alright to just have Satsuki go back to the Vongola like nothing ever happened?

"The people who killed my family, did you really wipe them out?" Satsuki asked Matteo eagerly. She didn't care for the documents right now. She didn't care for herself. She wanted to know why those people killed everyone important to her and left her alive. She wanted to know what was so important in that safe, there were bound to be more than her. "We did... However, their headquarters are in Italy. As is ours. We wiped out their Japan base... the Italy base is still strong." This struck Satsuki. Some of them were still alive. Those people who subjected her to a sad childhood and made her want to give up on everything. In Italy, where they stayed, some of them were still there.

It made her blood boil and her anger surface, her lips now a thin line on her features. Did they deserve to live after giving Satsuki such a hard time? After killing her parents, her young innocent sister, she couldn't accept it. She couldn't accept that those people still roamed the earth everyday with possibly a smile on their faces. Then, with as much determination as she had in one life, without even thinking about it thoroughly, she'd made her decision. "I want to go to Italy."

* * *

"Italy? What are you talking about woman?" Gokudera scoffed at Haru who looked as if she was in her own dream. Swaying and swooning with her hands clasped together. Gokudera had no inkling on how he ended up helping the women clean the kitchen. There were maids to do that but the women were being troublesome like they always were and wanted something to do. In fact, they weren't cleaning the kitchen, they were making it more dirty. I-pin decided she wanted to cook dim-sum for the family and Kyoko insisted on baking sweets for them with Chrome assisting her. Haru was the one preparing the ingredients and Gokudera refused to help but they had trapped him with an apron already.

"Yes! Italy! Have you ever been there Hayato-kun?" Gokudera's eye twitched. He was sure he'd already told the girl he was born in Italy and raised there for some years and still she couldn't get it through her thick skull. He ignored her but she kept talking, "Vongola has a base there right?" This was something Gokudera was interested in. In all honesty he'd only been in the Vongola Italy base three times, he didn't like going there for the Italy base was shared with the Varia. Despicable people he could never get along with, Gokudera thought while looking at Haru handle the knife to cut pastry. Again, he didn't bother answering. A little while later and Haru was screaming about how he was ignoring her questions and how she felt like she was talking to a block of ice.

A few floors above the kitchen, it was another scene. Tsuna had been doing his paperwork all that time. Without Reborn directing him it was a bit more relaxed, however, if he relaxed too much his duties would outrun him. He sighed a little and ran a hand through his hair. Nothing had happened so far. No attacks, no word from anyone who wished to threaten them. His mind veered in and out with the thoughts of Kyoko. Kyoko sleeping at night, her safety, Kyoko out in the garden in the morning, Kyoko being taken, Kyoko being held hostage, Kyoko being hurt, Kyoko, Kyoko, Kyoko and so when the door opened and Satsuki entered, Tsuna thought he was hallucinating.

It was her though. The same smile, the same figure and the same face. Tsuna's face broke out into a smile without him realizing it and he stood, about to address his friend who had been away for a few days when someone else entered. A boy his age, a sincere smile, black spiked hair and a gentleness that looked familiar. He was wearing a suit that told Tsuna he wasn't an ordinary man and just like that, Tsuna's smile dwindled into a forced one. What was this feeling? It was as if he had been betrayed and slapped on both sides of his faces.

Satsuki closed the door behind them. She had come with Reborn and Shamal but neither of them had accompanied her to see Tsuna, to tell him about her decision. Reborn had told her it was better this way and Shamal said he "had to knock some sense into his other pupil" which would be none other than the silver-haired bomber himself. "It's... really an honor to meet you, Vongola tenth." Satsuki blinked as Matteo bowed, quite perfectly into ninety degrees. She'd never thought of Tsuna as such a big figure in the mafia world. She never bowed to him like that and it just occurred to her how Tsuna was not such a boss-like figure. He was more of a friend, a companion instead of a boss.

"Ah... Don't- I mean, it's nice to meet you too." Then there was that side of him that never went away, the stuttering no good Tsuna. Satsuki hid her laugh behind a hand and smiled to herself. "This is Matteo, Tsuna-kun." The Milton boss straightened up and smiled now at Tsuna who, despite feeling weird on this change of events, smiled back. "Yes, we seem to have something to talk about..." Matteo looked over at Satsuki who averted her gaze down to her feet for a moment. When she picked her head back up she'd told Tsuna she had some business in Italy and needed to go over. She didn't discuss any details, nor did Matteo.

Matteo could see what was going on from the side. The Vongola boss had strode over to Satsuki and listened closely to what she had to say but there wasn't much the girl wanted to reveal. The young Milton saw different things flash in the Vongola's face. They went by so fast that he couldn't place every one of them but there was the recurring emotion of confusion. "...So I'm sorry, I really want to go... I have to." She'd finish explaining everything, not revealing anything about her family nor the documents and anything of the sort.

Tsuna was blank. Something passed through his veins so quick that he couldn't grasp it. Was it fear? Why was she slipping away so far? There was total silence for a few seconds before he smiled politely at the other man in the room. "I'm sorry but could you give us a short moment alone?" Satsuki looked up at Tsuna with surprise and in a way she felt as if she had done something wrong, like a child who was going to receive a private beating from her mother.

Matteo didn't resist whatsoever. So far the Vongola boss had been very kind, very different to what he had imagined him to be and he'd hate to get on his wrong side. Though, while Matteo was closing the door, he'd seen that the Vongola boss cared for the girl to the point that he tried to concern himself over whatever she did. When the door closed with a click Tsuna turned towards his desk again and walked past it, going to the large window that had a view of the greenery outside. Every window in the Vongola mansion was the same. Just greenery. Satsuki, Satsuki, Satsuki. His mind had done a complete u-turn from his earlier thoughts.

"What is it really? The reason you want to go?"

Satsuki couldn't see his face from her position. All she could see was his back. His back that was turned away from her and denied her access to his reactions and to how he felt. "...I'm sorry." Was all she said. She didn't want to reveal it to him. She didn't want to have to put him through so much guilt. If Tsuna knew that he, that the Vongola had been slowly and indirectly killing her, the man wouldn't forgive himself for it. No matter if she insisted that it was her own choice to help them and heal them in every battle, Tsuna would still blame himself.

"Was it something we did?" Satsuki felt as if cold ran through her arms and goosebumps engulfed her. Tsuna was suddenly being critical, he was reading too much into it. Or was he? Satsuki thought. Perhaps it wasn't a matter of something he did maybe it was a matter of something he_ didn't_ do. As if reading her mind her boss had changed his statement. "No... Maybe we're not doing enough for you."

"Stop. Really..." She couldn't take him blaming himself for her decisions. "It's not any of you really... It's personal... I like it here, I really do but I won't get any peace of mind if I don't do this and-" From her peripheral vision she'd watched as Tsuna turned towards her. So fast, that she had to stop talking and just focus her gaze at him. She found in his face something that she hadn't seen in years. Desperation. That same face that always told Reborn 'I can't do it. I don't want to be Mafia.' or 'There's no way we're going to win.'

"You can't go to Italy." His brows were furrowed and it wasn't anger or authority that came out from his voice. Tsuna had no idea what he was doing but he couldn't just let it go like this. Something felt wrong here and everything was out of place, nothing was making sense at that moment. He hadn't meant to restrict her but he only realized at that moment she had always been there for the family, for him and now that she was seemingly, slowly pulling away, telling him she had to leave as if she was never going to come back, it struck him. "You can't go... not without me."


	10. Conflict

A/N: OH MY GOSH! I know! I'm so SORRY! How long since my last update?! No, wait don't tell me that, I don't even want to know how irresponsible I've been (or responsible, considering I was finishing my school work instead of finishing this fanfiction _)

Anyways... Well, school's out and I hope I can write more _ This chapter seems pointless, it's just a bridge chapter but everything will make sense eventually :)) It's just a little peek into what everyone's mind is on right now.

WARNING: I'm really rusty with writing, I need practice and it'll get better, I promise.

PS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING! 3 I love you

* * *

"I made a copy of it… If you figure out what it means then the whole thing wouldn't be so complicated."

"What makes you think I can figure it out?"

"You're irrational, rash and hot-headed but you're the smartest out there. Plus, you're the only one that knows."

A light shuffle of paper tore the silver-haired boy away from his lingering thoughts. He held his hand out and accepted the piece of paper with messy handwriting from his mentor. Suddenly, it was like he was holding on to the whole world. As if he was carrying a sort of burden that only he could unfold, this was the weight of a simple piece of parchment with a prophecy on it.

"She's going to Italy. I heard Sawada wants to go with her, so chances are you're going to be left here to look after Kyoko… Can't your boss choose one girl?"

Gokudera scoffed and ignored the older man's question. That topic was outside what they were talking about. "I'm not getting left behind here I'm the right hand man! I come along!" He would be coming along. He knew he'd be coming along because that was the right thing to do, the right decision for the tenth to make.

The doctor only looked at him with a passive eye and let a little happiness escape from his mouth with a sigh. He flicked the piece of paper, it folding upward before it fell back on its own again, taut. "Focus on this first." Now that Gokudera thought about it, this wasn't any of his concern. This whole thing was Satsuki's problems, not his. He could just tear the prophecy into pieces and walk away, do nothing about it… let her die.

No matter how irrational, rash and hot-headed he was, he wasn't heartless. Vongola had countless lives in debt to Satsuki and family was family. He wasn't one to show anything but irritation, maybe he didn't know how to exhibit care but that was the way he was. He turned away from the doctor and without looking back waved a hand at him to signal that he understood. He'd slave on that piece of paper for as long as he could.

So here he was sitting leisurely in first-class, having enough room to sleep properly in a lying position. This was Vongola's private jet after all. It was self-service, Gokudera liked it that way compared to the air hostesses asking him what he wanted to eat or drink when all he wanted was to be left alone.

He was hunched over the makeshift table in the plane, eyebrows meeting in confusion down at the paper. _**At the break of day in which age matches birth. **_He had to know someone's birthday and he was quite sure it was Satsuki. He'd seen her file. Her birthday was a few weeks away from today but it wouldn't be cakes and parties. She'd be 23 and her birthday fell on a 23rd. Obviously, that was what was meant with _**age matches birth**_. Something would change on her 23rd birthday and Gokudera was still trying to figure out what it was.

He fell back on his seat and ran a hand through his already messy hair. He needed to do some research, having no idea what the longest month was. A hunch was present but he had to confirm it, there was a library in the Italy base, passed down from generations and generations of Vongola lineage. Surely, it would suffice for what he needed.

On the other side of the plane Tsuna and Satsuki sat side by side and although their seats were next to each other they were separated by a divider that could only be found in first-class airplanes. In all honesty Satsuki was confused as to why Tsuna chose to sit beside her. This was technically his plane and if he wanted to he could be sitting on the pilot's seat, meaning it was his choice where to sit.

"Satsuki." She turned her head to the right where Tsuna was but realized that the voice was coming from her left. She slightly tilted her head back to peer over her shoulder towards a tuft of black hair. Matteo was standing beside her seat, the pilot had just announced that take off would be in a few minutes: everyone should stay put on their seats. "Can I have a word after take-off?"

She merely gave him a slow, curious nod accompanied by a soft, friendly smile. She couldn't see Tsuna from her sitting position but there was a slight movement on his side, as if a cold wind had caused him to shiver in displeasure. The tenth boss had heard the request, of course, but chose not to say anything. He was making too many rash decisions lately, first Kyoko, now Satsuki and then inquiring in something that seemed like none of his business would or could be too much.

He sighed, folding his hands and propping his head above them. Kyoko would be safe in Japan with the others. Aside from Tsuna, Gokudera, Matteo and Reborn, the others had been left behind. He thought it was best this way, they had Varia in Italy in case anything happened so he left most of them in Japan. Yamamoto was capable enough and Ryohei would certainly take care of his sister. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing. It became a chant in his head, the words rolling over like waves insistently coming back to shore and he hadn't noticed that they were in the air already. He only noticed when Satsuki stood, smoothing down her clothes for a moment before walking away to meet Matteo.

The Milton family had their own private jet, although it would come as a surprise if the Vongola knew. Small families aren't supposed to have so much funds for fancy things. As Matteo looked out of the airplane window, noting the white clouds that passed them by, he himself was bothered by other things. His own duties back home, he had so much pressure put on him as the boss at a young age… Though, he shouldn't be one to complain, he and Tsuna were pretty much the same age and the Vongola tenth didn't seem like a crybaby to him.

"Matteo?" Satsuki quietly peered down at him and the raven haired boy sat up almost instantly. He had been startled, being lost in the troughs of his own thoughts, his instincts flared up and if not for him being in an airplane he would have sent an automatic right hook to whoever it is that called out to him. He relaxed considerably when he remembered he had asked Satsuki to talk and gave her an apologetic smile to which she just curiously stared at, not noticing his strange behavior. "Should we get some food and a drink?"

He stood and together they walked over to the lounge area of the plane where, at this time, there were only light refreshments and food served, such as fruit and salads. Satsuki helped herself to slices of mango and pineapple and waited for Matteo to sit beside her on the small dining area. He didn't waste any time as he sat down with just a cold orange juice and started talking. "You will be staying with your family once you arrive at Italy, yes?"

Satsuki nodded once, this was custom and since she had her own room in the Italy base, there was nowhere else she'd rather go. "…Why?" The way the young boss had asked her made it seem like he didn't want Satsuki anywhere near his mafia family and her suspicions were correct. "The situation at base isn't so good, there are bad relations with some rivaling families, it wouldn't be good to have a guest around if a fight breaks out." He was only concerned about giving her a place to stay in and not getting her, or anyone in Vongola for that matter, mixed up in their own affairs.

"… Which rivaling families?" Satsuki had an inkling that this was the right question to ask. That the answer would ultimately lead her to something she wanted and as she watched Matteo carefully, there was a split second of uncomfortable twitch on his face. "A family we've been having trouble with for a while." He had dodged the exact question and Satsuki started to chew slowly. She put her fork down, it clattering on the table and her now looking at Matteo, attempting to make eye contact that he was avoiding.

"…Which families?" Matteo finished his glass of orange juice and laid the glass gently down on the table, this was the only time that he connected his gaze with the girl. "Picotta." There was more to it than that and Matteo thought if he should get another glass of orange juice before she would ask again but she had already raised her eyebrows at him, telling him that it wasn't enough information. "Picotta is the family who had your documents."

"I want to help." He instantly knew that she would say that. It didn't even take her a second or two, Matteo now had the impression that she was a reckless girl who jumped into things. First going to Italy and now joining a mafia fight, it seemed she was a lot more selfish than he thought. Although she had said that she "wanted to help" the young boss was sure it was more for her benefit than theirs. "No, it's not right, you're not of our family. We can't let others get wrapped up in it."

"They killed my _**family**_, Matteo. I was wrapped up in it before you were!" The burst of anger was so sudden that it took Matteo by surprise, his eyes slightly wide by the furrowed brows of the girl and he could not say anything for a new presence interrupted them. "Is everything alright…?" Tsuna just came in, looking at the two who seemed to be entangled in an invisible tense and awkward air. He hadn't heard anything at all, just wanted a glass of water and came in to the lounge area to find that a heavy air was already hanging in the area.

A few moments of silence passed and Satsuki's shoulders slumped back to relaxation, she hadn't meant to have an outburst, she sighed and stood, not addressing the Milton nor the Vongola boss and went back to her first-class seat. Matteo held in a sigh, not wanting the Vongola boss to hear his distress, for a while he sat there and Tsuna just stood there, contemplating on what to do.

"…I might have offended her a little." A sheepish smile lit Matteo's face and he averted his gaze towards Tsuna, in all honesty, looking at the man, they had several similarities but the Milton boss knew that they were also worlds and maybe even a universe apart. Tsuna only nodded slowly and took two glasses of water, placing one on the table for Matteo who gratefully accepted it. "I basically told her she wasn't welcome in our Milton mansion." Tsuna almost spluttered the water he was drinking on his own suit. What was wrong with that? It wasn't as if Satsuki wanted to actually sleep in the Milton mansion, did she? She had the Vongola mansion and a room to herself, plus weird bodyguards also known as the Varia.

"I-Is that so...?" Tsuna gulped the water down, the lump on his throat bobbing up and down at the intensity he was chugging it down. Matteo chuckled a little, "It's nothing to worry about, Sawada-san." He was told not to reveal anything to the tenth. Reborn, Shamal and Satsuki herself had told him to keep the tenth in the dark but now that he thought of it, what was the use of Tsuna being here if he knew nothing and so little about everything. Matteo almost felt sorry for the tenth. The other person however, the one with silver hair, no one told Matteo anything about him but he could see that the silver head was always in his own little world, not bothering anyone at all.

Perhaps that was a convenient and good thing. A sign to leave the bomber alone.


	11. Three

A/N : Second chapter of the day to compensate cause I haven't updated in so long XDD

Now that the first part of the prophecy is revealed, any guesses on what the whole thing is about? If you have any guesses let me read them on the reviews! It's quite interesting to see guesstimates XDD

* * *

Three days. He had been there for three days. The cold floor made him conscious of the discomfort he was feeling. He had tried every sitting position possible to alleviate any ache he was feeling on his bottom. The stack of books next to him was on the verge of toppling over, he only made the process quicker by nudging it and letting the tower of books fall in a pile of loud thuds next to him.

Gokudera was drained. For a while he didn't even know why he was doing this anymore, flipping through books, looking for confirmation and information. Digging for anything he could find to decipher the first line of the prophecy. The longest month, after three days of research, he'd found that it was September. An old book of Japanese poems drew him to the words "長月". Long month. He searched again and found Chinese books, as old as the Heian period in a corner of the Vongola Italy base library and saw more of the word. Finally, clutching the book that was in his hands, reading the same paragraph for the fifth time, he had determined that September was called the longest month in Japan, used as early as the 1180s.

_**A boy who is born on the longest month**_. _**Will be the first to know and be on the hunt.**_ The irony of it. Gokudera thought. All those three days spent on two lines of a prophecy, only to find out that the prophecy was talking about him. Born on September 9, there was almost no doubt in Gokudera's mind that it was him the prophecy was pointing at. _**the first to know and be on the hunt. **_There might have been other people who were born in September surrounding Satsuki, but Gokudera was the only one who was on the hunt. He was the only one looking at this prophecy at this moment in time, hunting for answers. This, although not a hundred percent sure, he was confident of it.

"Damn it, more birthdays." He cursed under his breath, he didn't know anyone born in October, actually, he hadn't cared for anyone's birthday at all, not even the tenth's because the tenth, as he knew, hated surprises and celebrating his birthday. He threw the prophecy and book on the floor in frustration and stood up, he deserved a break. He needed three days' worth of cigarette and sleep right now.

Satsuki and the prophecy could wait.

* * *

"Giannini, had you gotten the serial number checked?" Spanner's voice was muffled by his wrench shaped lollipop placed neatly in his mouth. He was never seen without candy, he always had to have it for the sugar kept him going for long nights.

"I sent a replica of the chip to Shoichi." Giannini somewhat dejectedly drawled out, eyes focused on the original microchip from the bird tracker. It had been a long time and they still had no success as to where the tracker and chip came from. Spanner wasn't good at analyzing things, he was only good with making and fixing them, which was what he did when Ryohei had destroyed the microchip player out in the meeting room a few weeks back.

If Giannini had asked Shoichi for help, it meant that the microchip was far more complex than they all had anticipated. The three of them, Giannini, Shoichi and Spanner had what people called 'friendly rivalry'. Sometimes, Spanner wondered if it really was a 'friendly' rivalry or an unhealthy competition among the three of them. But at times like this, it was the trust and cooperation they put in each other that let Spanner know they were still family in the end.

"He's getting people to check if the serial number is in any shop database. The owner's bound to have bought it somewhere…" Spanner's lollipop stick broke off from the candy and he was left chewing the stick, letting the candy melt in his mouth. "…and if the owner made everything by himself and didn't buy anything off the market?" It was an insensitive question challenging Giannini's logic but it was a good question all the same.

"…Then we have to start from the beginning."

Spanner pushed himself up from the chair and wheeled over to the nearest supercomputer, his other hand taking another packet of his lollipop and popping it into his mouth.

This was going to be a long investigation.

* * *

Birds. Chrome would never look at them the same again. Every now and then she would glance at the window whenever something flitted by, half listening to Kyoko and Haru and half on guard ready for anything that would come at them, especially Kyoko. She could remember the chill that ran down her spine, the disgust and sinking feeling in her stomach when she had first seen the captured footage. To think that someone was capable of watching so closely yet be so far, to have followed your every move and to see what you were doing every minute of the day… It was beyond eerie and abnormal. It reached an entirely different magnitude to Chrome.

It disturbed her even more that Kyoko knew nothing of it, she was the only one who knew and it put a burden the weight of the world on her sometimes. Haru, Kyoko and I-pin, the three of them in their carefree world, in the dark for their own protection but was it really the best decision? Suppressing information from people, if Chrome was Kyoko, she wouldn't want it hidden from her. She would want to know. She would want to know so that she would stop looking for the birds in the morning, stop wondering why there was less birds in the area, why the colorful feathers never came back again and why there was no more chirping.

"Chrome-chan. Chrome-chan?"

She lifted her head slowly and looked towards Haru who was offering her a slice of cake, she didn't have the stomach to eat it and she shook her head politely to which Haru frowned at. "Are you okay, Chrome-chan? This is your favorite one." Chrome forced a smile and looked at both Haru and Kyoko, "I'm not hungry. I'm okay."

I'm okay.

* * *

"It's _**not**_ okay! It's _**not**_!"

"Stop throwing a tantrum Satsuki, don't you think you've caused too much trouble already?"

Shamal's words pierced through her skull, seemingly penetrating the outer exterior and entering her brain, then travelling all over her body so that she froze in place and tensed up. He hit more than a nerve. She had been causing too much trouble lately. Gokudera had been out of sight most of the time, in fact, Satsuki hadn't seen him since the first day they landed. He just disappeared.

Tsuna on the other hand had gotten caught up with Varia relations and even then, he talked about the peril back home, Kyoko's predicament instead of Satsuki's affairs in Italy. She couldn't blame him, she didn't want him to know and nobody told him anything. This was the biggest mistake, she shouldn't have let Tsuna come, there was no use for him here and he was better off back in Japan.

Reborn was almost always here and there, disappearing from time to time and reappearing only to give orders. His last orders for Satsuki was to stay in Vongola headquarters, not run off to another family's mansion like she had wanted to.

"First you come to Italy and drag Tsuna and Gokudera with you and now you insist on staying and helping the Matteo family with their own affairs. Aren't you a being a little too selfish?"

"… I hardly asked for Tsuna and Gokudera to come."

"They're worried about you. Why can't you just tell them what you're there in Italy for?"

"I just… don't want to drag them into my own problems… and if any of them found out that I've been giving my life in return for their health… They wouldn't forgive themselves, Tsuna wouldn't let me use my abilities anymore and I would be no use to Vongola anymore… I don't want that. I don't want to be useless."

"You're a skilled fighter. Just because you're not allowed to use your healing properties doesn't mean you're useless and even then you're still as stubborn as Gokudera and you would use them anyway."

This made her bite her lip a little to refrain from letting out a low laugh. The doctor was right, she wouldn't listen to those restrictions especially if she could have done something about it.

"If you open up to them, then things wouldn't be so hard. You'd be talking to them about this instead of me… You can't carry all your problems yourself, that's what family is for. Stop being selfish and let them out of the dark."

Satsuki sighed and dropped her head to look at the floor of her Varia base bedroom. Lately she had no one to turn to except Shamal and Reborn, the only two who knew and lately, she wished that she had more people to talk to. She somehow wished that it was easy to tell people and that it wasn't so frightening to let more of them know what had happened to her, how her family had came to be extinct. She was afraid that things would change if she told them. Her family. Vongola.

"…I'll think about it."

"You're welcome. I need to be paid for the amount of minutes you talked to me. I could have earned $100 with the people I turned down during that time."

He sounded like he meant it and Satsuki considered apologizing for a split second.

"Pay me 100 kisses."

She ended the call without another word.

* * *

"There are things that might go wrong back in Japan and I would have to leave." Tsuna shifted his weight from his right to the left, even after getting Varia's confidence, standing in front of Xanxus was something unnerving and caused discomfort. Having Squalo in the room helped for the long haired swordsman had his ways of being funny and eased silent tensions between the two. In fact, Xanxus had not said anything at all, it was Squalo who had been babbling and screaming all that time.

"Then why didn't you stay there in the first place?!" Tsuna slightly winced at the intensity of Squalo's screech but his question was something that had Tsuna trying to fish for an answer. It was as if he was holding a fishing rod without bait, he couldn't reel any legitimate answer. "W-Well... Satsuki has some matters here, I wanted to help." was the first thing his fishing rod was able to hook on to, but it wasn't such a great catch. In fact, there was a shark lurking in the waters, waiting for the opportunity to pull at Tsuna's fishing rod and devour him whole.

"and you've been telling us that you don't know what these "matters" are. Troublesome." The said shark complained. Tsuna sighed and frowned at Squalo's statement. This much was true. He still didn't know what he was here for, but it was instinct that urged him to come. That feeling crept up on him again, that Satsuki was pulling away, as if she was far from their reach. He didn't like it. "... I trust her. I think she needs me more than the others do right now." By others, Tsuna had only really meant Kyoko. The immediate danger Kyoko was in was frightening and the tenth admitted he himself had been disorganized at handling that.

Kyoko would be fine with the other guardians. He didn't know how many times he had told himself that. Satsuki on the other hand... Tsuna had a feeling that she needed something more than guardians. Something that he now knew the members of the family but most of all, he himself had failed to provide her. Companionship. He knew nothing about her, only knew that she was there for every battle. They had taken her for granted, they had always thought she'd be around forever but... her decision to fly to Italy and leave Vongola for her own matters proved that wasn't so. He didn't know anything about her and it had to change. It was either that, or lose her altogether.

and that last thought didn't sit well with Tsuna.


	12. Reach Out

A/N : So how are you liking my fast updates? XDD but it's all because of the reviews you left! I really appreciate it and I hope you guys write more :)) COOKIES FOR ALL OF YOU!

This chapter is a little bit different, guess why? It's a little fluffy on the sides XDD

Special mentions:

**ninjalover556 - **ohhhhhhh, interesting :P You got some parts right, specially about the *coughkyokocough* part. But it won't be exactly as you say, there are a lot of twists and turns I've worked out for the story. So... STAY TUNED! :))

**lalala - **I love how your username is easy to type :3 Thank you for the long review!

**WhitishBlack**- I literally "awwwwwed" when I saw you reviewed on all the chapters. XD Thank you!

**and thank you to everyone else who's been reading this~~~**

STORY START XD PS. I don't know Italian XD

* * *

Mornings were different there in the Varia base. She drew her curtains tight every night, bothered by the sun's rays in the morning as well as the innocent chirping of the birds. She was awake yet her brain had not started functioning, as if gravity was the strongest at this time of the day, she had no desire to get up.

"Satsuki…?"

She blinked. She thought she heard someone call her name, perhaps it was a good idea to go back to sleep if she was still hallucinating. No one would have the mind to bother her at 7:02 am.

"Satsuki, are you awake…?"

She sat up, throwing her covers off of her with a loud rustle. She knew that voice but why would he come around at—she glanced at her clock once again to see if the time was right—7:03 am? "I'm awake…" She softly answered back, enough so that the person on the other side could hear. She swung her legs over her bed and softly pattered over to her door, turning the knob, the slight click of the lock disengaging and pulling it a mere inch or two open to peek outside.

"Good morning." Tsuna was wearing something different today while she was still in her white sleeping shirt and short sleeping shorts. She hadn't noticed the drumming of her heart but seeing him wear something different than his usual suit, smile plastered on his face and greeting her good morning, Satsuki's whole world for a second seemed to only have focused on him. He was wearing linen, gray pants, a white button up polo with a blue, plaid, cotton vest on top of it.

"Good morning. You should've knocked." She smiled a little at his diffidence and pulled open the door just a little bit wider, enough for them to have a proper conversation and for him to not see she was still in her sleeping clothes.

"I didn't want to wake you up." The tenth boss laughed sheepishly, picking an arm up to scratch the back of his head. "I was already awake." He only laughed nervously at this, possibly not knowing what to say next. There was a moment of what one could only call an awkward silence. Her standing there, hiding behind a door and him standing outside trying to talk to her.

"Sssoooo…?" Satsuki drawled out and blinked at him who was still smiling that half forced smile of what looked like nervousness. "Ah, right…" He had forgotten what he was here for, he wasn't quite used to approaching people like this or, he just wasn't used to talking to Satsuki at all, this thought made him feel a little bereaved.

This was Satsuki. He thought. There was nothing to worry about, she was a nice a person and she'd always been there for everyone. He let himself breathe easy and dropped his arm back down to his side, "Have you been to Italy before?" A small laugh came from Satsuki, her ebony locks swaying forward in motion with her body. "We've been on missions to Italy before, Tsuna-kun, so yes."

"A-Ah, right! But I didn't mean those." He laughed nervously again, this time scratching his chin. Something made him lose his cool, was it the way she said 'Tsuna-kun' or the laugh that he so rarely saw on her face? Why hadn't he seen it before? "I meant have you gone around Italy? The missions don't really give us a chance to explore." There were hundreds of places he could think of now, just to take a stroll around. Italy was a beautiful place and out of everyone in Vongola he was the one required to travel back to Italy most frequently—along with Gokudera, who insisted he had to go with the tenth—.

"Well, that's right. I've only ever been to the airport and Varia base." She gave a small grin, listing out the two places she had ever set foot at in Italy. "We could have breakfast outside and take a long walk." He had said this without so much of a stutter that it was Satsuki's time to shrink back behind her door and only then did she realize that he was suggesting this and waiting for her approval. A long walk, didn't people nowadays say a short stroll?

"Alright." She simply said with a smile and averted her gaze from him, looking down at herself. Alright, if she could find something to wear. "I'll wait for you outside then." Tsuna smiled softly, his features changing from tense to a sudden calm and when he turned to walk away, hands buried in his pockets, there was something that drew Satsuki's eyes towards his retreating back.

So thirty minutes and a shower later, not wanting Tsuna to wait so long she had emerged from her bedroom in equally casual clothing that would fit the Italian environment. She had the impression that no one wore just jeans, hoodies and sneakers in Italy, which was what she would have worn in Japan but Italy had a kind of grace that no other country could mimic. Plus, Tsuna seemed to have altered his style as well. So she wore the only dress she had that Lussuria had given her a few years back. He said that grey was the chic color, and sundresses were popular all year round and today, she decided to take that advice and wore it.

The grey sundress reached just above her knees and it was more elegant than cute, yet nothing flashy. She wouldn't wear something flashy, just a casual walk around Italy and it seemed like the perfect choice… Well, her only choice, for that matter. "Sorry I took so long." Tsuna was standing outside the Varia base, seemingly looking up at the sky and turning only to look at her and shake his head, signaling that it wasn't something to be sorry for.

It took a while to get out of the forest but during that time they had successfully opened several small topics, chatting as if they had been doing it forever. When they broke through the clearing of trees they were at the edge of the town and Satsuki looked around curiously, not a lot of people were there, but he said that they had to walk a little bit further to see the center of Venice. She never knew where the Varia base was located, it wasn't supposed to be made known to the public eye but she would never have guessed it was located deep in Venice.

The more they walked the more people she saw, street markets appeared and the bustle of the city started to fill her ears. People haggling for lower prices, babies crying in their strollers, the distant sound of church bells for morning mass, the clink of plates in café's that seemed to surround every corner and the soft whistle of the wind touching her face. "Their breakfast is the best around." Tsuna had still been talking about the city, explaining that he had come here uncountable times and recommended that café they were going to. She on the other hand, had been in awe the moment they stepped into the city square.

She thought she had gone back in time, the buildings were foreign to her, not that the Varia mansion wasn't, it looked like a castle from a fairy tale gone wrong. There were bridges, a lot of them and it was only when they crossed one that she noted the city was like a city on water. Tsuna said something about this stretch of water being the Grand Canal, and sometimes the tide was so high that it would flood the town ankle-level. "We could ride a boat."

She bit the inside of her lip at this. That boat didn't seem like something just friends would ride. It was a fancy boat, the inside seating covered with red velvet and the wood a polished brown-black. It floated slowly, rowed by a single man who stood almost at the edge of the boat. She just smiled and urged him to continue walking.

"Are you hungry? It's a lot farther than I remember it to be." He laughed nervously again, bothered that it was taking such a long time to get to the café when it seemed like it only took him a few minutes to get there alone. Satsuki thought that it was perhaps her who was slowing them down, what with her stopping every now and then and looking at things she hadn't seen in Italy before.

Like this fruit stall she stopped at yet again. There were a flurry of colors of tropical fruits and exotic fruits, the vendor looked to be pleased that she was looking at his selection and several others were shopping there as well. She'd never seen such nice looking kiwis and large grapes, it was something so simple and trivial yet it caught her attention.

She looked down when something bumped her leg, taking her out of her momentary trance and the next thing she knew the stall owner was shouting and people were staring at the direction he was shouting at. An unruly boy was carrying two large apples in his hand, running for his life. One look and Satsuki knew that he had stolen it and was now running for his life. The stall owner was screaming in Italian, pointing at the kid until the kid had bumped head into a man towering over him. The child dropped the two apples and fell on his behind on the cold pavement of Venice, looking up at his captor and face turning instantly to that of fear and despondency.

"_It's alright."_ Tsuna picked the boy up and planted him on his feet. His Italian was surely not as good as his mother tongue but Reborn had made sure that Tsuna had a grasp of the language. Plus, Reborn emphasized that Italian was part of the "Romance languages" to which Tsuna blushed furiously at, ten years back.

"_How many siblings do you have?"_ He spoke well enough for the boy to understand and no one interrupted them with their exchange and everyone had seemingly gone back to their own business. Only Satsuki and the stall owner were intently looking at them. Satsuki in curiosity and the stall owner, wanting his money back. That same feeling stirred in her heart, his calm face never failed to attract her and there was something with the way he spoke and handled the child. A gentleness she always saw when he engaged in casual conversation with anyone.

The little kid looked down at his hands and seemed to start counting, in the end he put all ten of his fingers up, the tenth letting out a half chuckle at this. The boy was probably lying, but it was clear that he was hungry. He waved Satsuki over, taking the boy's hand and passing it over to her, _"Stay with the nice lady."_ She hadn't caught what he said but understood that she was to watch the boy for a while, in case he ran off again while Tsuna went back to the fruit stall and talked to the owner. There was an exchange of words, money and a handshake and Tsuna came back with a bag of assorted fruits, handing it to the little boy who had a little difficulty carrying it.

"_Try not to steal again."_ Tsuna frowned at this, the boy probably will again but he hadn't the power to change the cycle of life for people like them. The boy looked up at him as if Tsuna was an alien from outer space and then towards Satsuki who still had his hand. _"… Can I take the lady too?"_ She stood there oblivious to what the two boys were saying and just blinked at Tsuna's surprise and held back laughter.

"_No, I'm sorry. She's with me." _The boy pursed his lips, disappointed. He needed an older sister, all his siblings were boys and they were too rough with him. None the less, he let go of Satsuki's hand, _"Grazie, signore, signora." _and ran off with much difficulty lugging the plastic of fruits with him.

Satsuki had to replay just what had happened that whole time and then, there was nothing else she could feel but a deeper admiration for the Vongola tenth. He said they better keep going, as if nothing had happened and she complied after telling him, "You're a great person, Tsuna." with all the sincerity she had in one life. His face lit up on fire and he turned towards her so fast Satsuki was afraid he broke his neck. "N-No, it's nothing s-special. Anyone would have… done the same!"

Not really. She thought with a smile on her face. In this world, not everyone would do the same anymore but she kept that thought and decided to poke fun at his sudden nervousness again. "Dame-Tsuna, you're stuttering again." He grew even more embarrassed at this and dropped his head with a sigh and only picked it back up when she laughed at his predicament. His eyes were glued to her smiling face for a minute and a ghost of a smile formed on his own features.

That smile was contagious.


	13. Turn Around

A/N: As you can see, the chapters are getting more dramatic and moving away from funny (...if they were even funny before, but that was kind of the goal, a little humor here and there)

You could say this chapter is the calm before the storm, hopefully that doesn't give out too much XDD By the way, I don't know why, but I'd just like to tell you guys that each chapter has its purpose. You know, it's not just there for the sake of being there, it says something :P but of course it isn't going to be obvious until the story progresses. In short... STAY TUNED XDD 

Shoutouts:  
**WhitishBlack** - YES I would love it if more people reviewed but I can't be selfish XDD but it is a bit weird to have 50 people reading it a day and having 3 to 4 reviews max ^_^'''''' As always, thank you, you lovely person... **I JUST STALKED YOUR PROFILE AND YOU'RE FROM AUSTRALIA?! ZOMG!** I'm going for exchange semester there! _ Which part are you in XDD  
**lalala** - That is a lot of P.S. XDD Don't worry about the prophecy, it will be revealed with time. *mysterious music* XD it's just fun to see people guessing and getting some parts right :)) I used to always forget my passwords too XD Once again, thank you lovely~ You helped me rework some of the chapters with your reviews XDD  
**detrametal** - Awe thanks. I try my best to be a good storyteller _  
**shanagi95 -** Thanks~!

* * *

"We can't waste anymore time."

A rough voice chided, the soft clacking of his shoes echoed in the cold, dark room. From the window, the only light provided was the moon illuminating the four walls, casting shadows on the ground of two men and one woman.

"It won't be long now…"

A smooth voice. Fresh and young as morning dew before the break of dawn resonated and bounced off the four walls. It was the only thing he could say as reassurance. There was nothing more to quench the other man's desire… or maybe it was his own desire as well… He didn't know what he wanted anymore and as he looked down on the glass panel, looking at the beautiful, resting face of the woman, he wondered if she would have wanted this.

"When? How long?"

"Exactly two weeks' time. Fourteen days." The clacking stopped and the man stopped in front of the window, blocking some of the moonlight and shadowing over the resting woman's face. A moment of silence ensued and nothing was said nor heard aside from their steady breathing.

A simple nod. That was his only indication of approval and something more: Satisfaction.

* * *

"Oh." Satsuki stopped in her tracks. It was midday now, the skies of Venice turning a shade of breathtaking orange. Tsuna stopped as well, curiously tilting his head to the left to look at her. They spent most of the day looking around, breakfast was uneventful yet delicious and the view from the café was stunning. In the morning, the water glittered under the sun's rays and the gondolas flitted slowly in and out. It was a rather peaceful sight.

Satsuki didn't know why Tsuna had wanted to ride the gondola, it didn't seem like it was something they had to do and it was somewhat… weird to do that with just the two of them. So she said that they'd do it next time, whenever that time might be. It occurred to her then, after breakfast, that this whole thing was strange. Why did he ask for her to come out today? There must have been a reason. Her thoughts were cut off as she glanced at Tsuna. His kind and calm face, perhaps he just wanted to kill time.

"I think Gokudera's birthday is tomorrow." She went back to present day and stated her assumption to which Tsuna gave a barely audible gasp, his features shifting from that of normalcy to a sudden surprise. "…Is it? I hadn't noticed." He felt like a bad friend at that moment. Terribly boss-like that he didn't even have time to think of his friends and their birthdays.

"I should buy him something." They were at the square now, her eyes scanning the shops lined one after the other. Tsuna scratched his head once again. Should he buy something for Gokudera as well? He didn't know what the Storm Guardian exactly liked but… after ten years of his loyalty, Tsuna had the impression that Gokudera would want nothing but to be "his right hand man." He slightly sighed at this idea. Sometimes Gokudera didn't seem to understand the concept of friendship, the only reason Tsuna didn't officially bestow Gokudera as his "right hand" was because it sounded too business like, too weird and no one did that anymore in the modern days. Gokudera was a great and loyal friend, that much was enough for Tsuna, he didn't want a right hand because everyone was equally a "right hand" to him.

Satsuki started to wander off towards a shop without warning Tsuna but he followed none the less. He found out that she had a tendency to be fascinated by things she'd never seen before and completely forget about everything else. This time, she seemed to be directed at a music shop. "Doesn't Gokudera play the piano?" She asked while entering the shop with a soft clink of the bell, the storekeeper briefly smiling at their direction.

"Yes… but I'm not sure if he still does…" She shot him a curious look, not knowing what he meant. Piano was something you couldn't unlearn and for a genius like Gokudera it didn't seem like piano was something he'd forget. She looked at the shelves of music books ranging from harmonica to electric guitar, "Do you mean he doesn't like playing anymore?" Her fingers brushed over the spines of piano albums and collections of piano sheets, "I haven't seen him play." Her companion answered briefly and the only thing that was on her mind was the thought that maybe Gokudera had nothing to play.

"Best Collection: Classical" She pulled on the book, thicker than the others and looking to be more promising. She flipped the pages briefly, lines of musical notes and clefs dancing around her eyes like music itself. She knew nothing about it but she liked to pretend she did. _"Would you like it wrapped, miss?"_ The lady on the counter asked when Satsuki brought it to the front to be paid. There was that language again. Despite being of Italian lineage, she didn't start learning the language until Reborn subjected her to it, much like Tsuna was along with several other languages. She was the "lost cause" type when it came to language learning. Throughout the whole day she had tried to remember her Italian lessons but they were way too deep in her memories and unlike her boss, she didn't use it as much as he did. Some language knowledge were overlapping with each other. "Errr… _Si. Could you possibly wrap it in rouge, s'il vous plait?_" She slightly understood what the woman meant but hid her face with her hand and groaned when she had realized what she did. A low chuckle emitted from Tsuna, _"She means to please use red for the wrapping paper, senora." _The lady did so without another word, although seemingly amused by Satsuki's blunder. She needed to learn how to stop mixing French and Italian together. She wouldn't say another word again or she'd just embarrass herself.

After paying the lady they started their way back to the Varia mansion, the orange sky transitioning to a light grey as twilight descended upon them. Tsuna insisted to pay half for the gift and Satsuki refused all that time until he revealed that he didn't have a gift for Gokudera and wanted a part of hers. "So it's from both of us." He laughed nervously still holding the money in his hand and offering it to her. "Well… if you put it that way." She sighed and took the money begrudgingly, making a note to herself that she had to tell Gokudera it was from her and his beloved tenth. Come to think of it, Satsuki thought, Gokudera might be happier hearing it's half from the tenth.

"Satsuki…" They'd been walking for a while now, the sky turning darker indicating they should reach their destination soon. It was strange that she didn't feel any fear walking in the dark like this and she knew that it was only because of Tsuna's presence. It felt safe, no matter where she went if he was around. _Maybe that's why I let you come with me, my selfish self again…_

"What?" She merely asked, the seriousness in his voice going by unnoticed. Their feet crunching on the grass and the crickets starting to sing intensified the idea that they were alone here. Just him and her and the coming night. She tilted her head to the side and saw his forlorn face, something was bothering him. She opened her mouth to inquire about his thoughts, but he had beaten her to it. "Is there something you want to tell me?" The abrupt change in the atmosphere struck her. Suddenly, the crunches on the ground seemed to become stomping, the crickets disappeared and the wind was still.

"…Is that why you took me out today? Because you wanted to pry information from me?" She should have known. There was always a reason for everything and Tsunayoshi Sawada wouldn't just take her around Venice for nothing. Of course he wanted something in return. She imagined he was tired of being kept in the dark.

"N-No. I was just asking… You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just-" He cut himself off as if he realized he was saying something wrong. "We're just worried." Tsuna had to take longer strides to keep up with her now. Her bottled rage was urging her to move faster and ignore the fire that was being fanned stronger in her heart. At least, once in her room, she wouldn't have to think too much about others. "Who's we?" She asked this in a neutral tone, refusing to look at the man behind her.

"We. Us." He exclaimed in a voice that told her he expected her to know who it was. "Gokudera has been acting strange, Reborn and Shamal has been tailing you around and Yamamoto has been noticing your strange behavior too." He abruptly stopped when he saw that she had as well, her back to him. Ebony hair still as the undisturbed leaves of the forest. He wondered if it was safe to continue talking but what little sense of leadership he had was already ahead of him. "The guardians have stuck with me for a long time and they have an obligation to…" Sometimes he didn't like that obligation. Sometimes he wondered if his guardians ever got tired of following him around but in ten years, one thing he had learned was that his guardians were the most loyal people he had ever met. His family more than they were guardians. "…but you never had an obligation to me. You could have left anytime in your life but you stayed."

There was a slight rippling of the grass. From his position, Satsuki was standing on higher ground, a few steps ahead of him and all he could see was her back. She looked to be very far from him. Unreachable. "…So why are you leaving now?" She tilted her head involuntarily towards the side, about to face him. The impact of the question brought her so much surprise that her head was nothing but blank for a few seconds. Then the days came rolling back to her. From the first day she woke up, saw the scar on her neck, the dining table, refusal to eat and locking herself in her room, leaving in the middle of a crisis, the decision to fly to Italy without any explanation, the conversations with Shamal. It was just like her mentor said: She was shutting everyone off.

_You can't carry all your problems yourself, that's what family is for._

Family. She couldn't let go of her old one and until today she refused to let go of them, not until she got all her answers. Maybe the answers were the key to accepting the new one. "I guess you don't remember but you saved my life." She started and at a slow pace, continued to follow the path towards the mansion. "I stayed because of that. I needed to repay you somehow." And Tsuna couldn't count anymore, how many times she did that not only for him but for the family as well. "Then I stayed because… I had nowhere else to go and Vongola became… a family." It didn't occur to him at all that she had nowhere else to go, another sign that he didn't know enough about her. "Besides, it's difficult to live normally again once you've been associated with the mafia." She skipped over a rock, seeing the tip of the castle in the distant clearing.

"I… saved your life?" The details were blurry, he remembered saving a girl but that girl was very different from the Satsuki he knew today. He stared at the ground as he walked, mind trying to steer back into time and return to the present with something in hand. He got small specks of memories but he didn't know if it was the right one. "This." He looked up, Satsuki pointing at the scar on her neck, castle looming on the background. "but I think you don't remember because those were the days where you ran around half naked confessing your love for people." His face turned a light shade of red and he averted his gaze from her. That, he only remembered because he had been punched and embarrassed in the middle of the road.

"… I remember a little bit." Satsuki dropped her hand back to her sides and softly gazed at him, wondering if he really did remember the correct details. The silence that followed encouraged the now awake crickets to sing louder and the night to descend upon them even lower. "I remember standing outside, the door was just open…" He seemed to be searching for his memories and his words, piecing them together like an old puzzle he used to know by heart. "There was a lot of blood and I saw them…" Satsuki suddenly felt like she didn't want to hear what he had to say anymore but she stayed put. If she couldn't handle mere words, then how would she survive the truths she would uncover? "A little girl and her parents." Her breath caught in her throat, her teeth automatically gritting in tension.

"I could have done something to save that little girl, or her family… That was my regret before Reborn shot me with Dying Will." That was as much as he could remember. He couldn't remember what they looked like, what happened in there or the people who came after them. He couldn't remember clearly if that girl was Satsuki. In fact, he remembered that he never saw the girl's face… only her back. _I guess you were turned away since the beginning…_ For some reason, he couldn't meet Satsuki's eyes. He was afraid he'd regret it again, he never bothered to remember until today and even so, he wasn't sure of everything, was it a dream? Did Reborn use the Reverse One Ton on him that time? It was all so blotchy.

"Mm." She mumbled. He reluctantly looked at her with clouded, guarded eyes, not wanting to offend a strong person like her with words of sympathy yet not wanting to seem remorseless. A strange smile formed on her face, much different from the ones she showed earlier.

"You met my family after all."


	14. Natsuna

A/N: Sooooo guys, I need you to do a favor for me, it's about the next fanfiction I'm going to write _**AND YOU HAVE A SAY IN IT! SO BASICALLY YOU COULD DETERMINE IF IM GOING TO WRITE A MUKURO OR WHATEVER FIC XDD**_

Yeah basically, I created a form about this fanfiction and my next one. So, if you could, I'd very much appreciate it if you answered the form.  
**docs*google*com/forms/d/1OHCAjYCQYu8p-r1jXCCNxXEln kD395HbKxT56zNB_zM/viewform**

The * is where the dot is supposed to be and please delete the space between xXEln and kD39...

Shoutouts time :3

**lalala - **The other characters are caught up in something else in Japan, which I won't reveal anything about anymore further. XDD That chapter's typed up, I just have to edit and reword it :)) I can't put everyone in one chapter gurrrrlllll XDD Matteo is doing something as well XDD I reworked the previous chapters XDD  
**556 and anon** - Thank you~  
**shanagi95** - Tsuna is awesome ;) hahaha! That's something that will slowly show up.

and remember, every chapter has its purpose ;)

* * *

"Bel-san, have you seen Gokudera around?" The prince was just innocently passing by, eyes still covered by his peculiar blonde hair. That was how Satsuki described it, though, she would never say it out loud. Prince the Ripper stopped mid-stride, looking at the shorter woman in front of him. He rarely spoke to her, there was no chance of interaction what with her positioned in Japan and him in Italy. It was only then that Satsuki realized he wasn't the best person to ask, not about Gokudera, especially. Well, none of the people in Varia were sane enough to ask, he was the one who just happened to pass by.

"Ushishishishi… Are you asking me?"

_Is there anyone else here…?_ She mused in her head, staring at the white mink around his neck wearing the same peculiar hairstyle, but smiled politely, "Err… On second thought, I think I can find him." _After I stop getting lost in this big place._ She sighed and continued on her way, looking at the large doors that lined the corridor. Some of them were weapon storage rooms, quarters, kitchen rooms, training rooms and any other room she could think of. If she had to guess, Gokudera would be in the training room but there were at least ten of those in the mansion.

Her line of thought came to an abrupt stop when a knife whizzed past her head, cutting a few strands of her hair before making a sharp left turn flying towards a door, embedding itself on the wood with a loud thud. She was instantly reminded of Reborn doing the same thing, shooting her with a bullet and barely missing. _Insanity runs in the family._

"Ushishishi…" The mysterious Varia member was already gone when Satsuki calmly turned her head towards his laugh. She had reason to believe that they wouldn't draw blood between family for no reason, despite their questionable sanity. A spar and practice match however, was a different story.

The door where the knife stuck to swung open, catching Satsuki's attention and surprise. None other than Vongola Storm was there. "What the fuck is that noise?" She gave him a lopsided smile and shrugged while he examined the door and glared at the knife stuck to it. The pattern was familiar and he looked as if he didn't even want to touch it.

"Happy birthday Gokudera." Shock and surprise were those two emotions that rarely showed up on Gokudera's face, so when Satsuki had a look at it, she couldn't help but add on to it. "It's from me, and Tsuna!" She held it out to him, neatly wrapped in red that complimented his flame with a little card on top she forced Tsuna to write. He took it, rather hesitantly and reluctantly, as if he was handling his own bombs. "From the tenth?" He raised his eyebrows when the full weight of the gift was in his hands, turning it over and inspecting the back.

"From Tsuna _**AND**_ me." She emphasized, not really wanting Tsuna to steal all the spotlight. He scoffed and tucked it under his arm, already knowing that it was a book of some sort. "…Thanks." She nodded at him and peeked around, seeing that he was in the library, books scattered round the floor. "So, can I come in?"

He stared at her and blinked once, twice, then stepped in, seemingly welcoming her but instead stood there with all the rigidity he had, "No." and slammed the door shut. He could hear sounds of muffled protests from the other side urging him to carefully lodge the lock in place, ignoring her altogether and looking down at the gift with a frown.

It made him feel like he needed to put in more effort in deciphering the prophecy.

* * *

One second to enter Hyper Dying Will mode, five seconds maximum. That's how used to it Tsuna was. He scanned the training room and assessed his chances of incinerating the whole place, Reborn insisted that he actually needed power control and target training. "Reborn… this area is too small." His speech was serene, merely stating the truth in place of complaining. Hyper Dying Will didn't seem to allow him to complain at any time.

"That's why you have to control the power level" Reborn was tempted to add "Dame-Tsuna" at the end. Whenever the Vongola boss complained about something, tutor instincts always had the urge to mock his student but that joke was ten-years old already. The boy had somehow clearly graduated from that, as evidenced by his acceptance of the challenge instead of continuously whining on how it would be impossible.

The Arcobaleno pushed a button from the observation deck, three target dummies popped up on the arena. One "bad guy" dummy, wearing a suit and aiming a dummy gun at Tsuna, the two others… Reborn had probably found amusing.

Two "Kyoko" dummies stood a feet away on either side of the "bad guy" which basically meant that if Tsuna fired too strong "Kyoko" would get incinerated as well. He was only silent at this somewhat strange situation. "Something wrong, Tsuna?" Reborn challenged from the observation deck. He'd never thought of the dummies before but it stimulated real life well enough to trigger more effort from Tsuna.

This level was easy enough, blast the "bad guy" in between the two "Kyokos" and that would be it. Level by level Reborn increased the difficulty, Tsuna was doing incredibly well, analyzing the space as if it was math instead of a battlefield, going through loopholes and openings he could use.

He was startled, after 20 or so puzzle levels, when something different was presented to him. The usual "bad guy" dummy sprang up from the floor, dummy gun still pointed at his direction but instead of the "Kyoko" dummy "Satsuki" sprang up, directly in front of the "bad guy" dummy. Tsuna would have been lying if he said he didn't feel a hint of worry.

"This is called the human shield." Reborn explained. Placing "Satsuki" directly in front of the "bad guy" was a tactic and he decided it would be interesting to change the usual "Kyoko" to "Satsuki", he wondered if it would actually induce a different reaction from Tsuna.

"So what happens, Tsuna, when a family member is taken hostage at point blank range, enemy ready to shoot an-" A loud resounding crack in the arena cut off Reborn's speech. To the normal human eye, it would seem as if Tsuna had just teleported from one point to another, knocking the "bad guy" down and crushing its skull, completely missing "Satsuki".

He stood back up looking down at the crushed dummy wires. "…You strike when they least expect it." He shifted the X-Gloves on his hand and relaxed considerably. "…but there's no way I would allow that to happen in the first place." Reborn looked down through the clear glass, secretly pleased with his students' approach and answer.

He'd grown a lot more than the eyes could see.

* * *

Satsuki sighed and glared at the door, finally deciding to leave Gokudera in his own library world. There was a squeak that made her curiously look around, the sound a small mouse running about would make. Sure enough, Belphegor's mink was crawling around her legs, looking up at her and suddenly running around her in circles. She didn't have her own box animal, interacting with one was atypical. "Are you lost? Bel-san won't like it if he sees you hanging around me."

The mink ran one circle around her legs once again and looked up at the door, eyeing the knife. "Oh, he wants his knife back huh… What a stingy bastard…" She mumbled, earning a little nip on the leg from the mink. She pulled her leg away from the animal and plucked the knife off the door keeping it in her hand and walked towards her room, ignoring the mink following her around. She looked at the patterned knife curiously, turning it over in her hands."Satsuki?" The blade almost slipped from her fingers at the sudden intrusion, she'd been getting too much surprises.

Tsuna was still in his Dying Will mode when he stepped out of the training room, flame burning bright. He cast a suspicious gaze on the knife she was holding, knowing the pattern and shape of it as well. One of his rings suddenly glowed, flashed a bright orange before a miniature lion stood in between him and Satsuki, observing the now unmoving mink by her feet.

"…Natsu." Tsuna chided his box animal gently, not knowing why it came out in the first place. A growl emitted from the small lion and the mink cowered behind Satsuki's leg until it decided it was time to go. Mink leaped up towards Satsuki's arm, taking the knife in her hands into its mouth and crawled back down her leg then ran along, possibly towards its master. Satsuki laughed under her breath, "You scared him off, Natsu."

The lion looked more pleased than ashamed and smiled up at Satsuki. She rarely ever saw the box animals. Xanxus' Bester, for one, was a liger she didn't really like, it took after his master but all of the box animals did. It wasn't a mystery then, why Natsu was her favorite.

"Bel-san… was with you?" The distress in Tsuna's voice was barely audible, but he himself caught it. What exactly bothered him if the Ripper was around her? It wasn't as if she couldn't take care of herself…

"No, he just helped me look for Gokudera." How the knife was involved in that, Tsuna would never know but it didn't matter as long as she wasn't bothered by the so called prince. He weakened his flame, deactivating Dying Will until it was completely gone leaving him in his Vongola gear. "You were training." She stated, lifting her hand a little to hover over his lightly scratched cheek, rosy flame radiating from her hands. It felt like a long time since she last used it. Tsuna merely watched as the pink flame licked his face, he could feel the skin of his wound reworking itself back to normalcy. While she took care of the small wounds he had, his mind reeled back, replaying yesterdays' talk with her.

They arrived later than expected but no one was there to greet them except Lussuria, lazing around on the couch, noisily asking if they had a nice "date". The both of them tried to explain at the same time that it wasn't a date at all but the older man didn't pay them any heed after voicing out his interpretation of the events.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing she said when they reached his office. "I didn't mean to worry everyone." The morose look on her face convinced Tsuna that she meant every word and more. She explained from then, her reasons to come to Italy, the documents being given to her by Matteo, the mafia family that killed her own, her wanting to know why they did so when her family didn't pose the slightest threat. Tsuna didn't interrupt her at all in her long recount of the events, when she stopped, he ran through her whole story once and something—or rather someone—bothered him in the process.

"All this information is from Matteo." He had his arms crossed, leaning on his table instead of sitting and looked at her apprehensively. He was questioning whether the information was credible and if the Milton was even trustworthy. He knew all too well that the world of mafia was well woven with lies. Although, Tsuna had to admit, the first time they met, Matteo didn't look to be much of a threat. "He could have hidden the documents from me…" She stated to his defense, already knowing what her boss would reply to it. "…They could easily be forged."

"I don't see why he would forge it… to be honest, there was nothing important in the documents… That's why I came here. He said they were still at war with Picotta, the family that killed mine and he didn't want me to be caught up in their own problems." Matteo seemed to be trying to protect her, more than anything. _He might even be doing a better job than I am_… Tsuna's fist tightened involuntarily at the thought. There were several possibilities to everything, several paths Satsuki's search could branch off to, several people who would turn out to be unworthy of their trust.

"I suppose it's alright." He pushed himself off from the table and gave her a pleasant smile. "I'm with you after all." She hoped her face wasn't as red as she thought it was, merely replying with a shaky "Thanks."

"I just wish you told me earlier." His rare assertiveness was showing but it was only because he was talking to someone he cared about. "There's nothing else, right?" He wasn't looking at her at that moment, preoccupied with something in his desk drawer, unable to see her shoulders tense up. "..No. That's all."

She hadn't told him about the prophecy and the mystery behind her rosy flame.


	15. Forward

A/N: ...There's nothing else I can say, eh, eh... That Lady Gaga song.

Er, anyways, the wheels and cogs are turning.

I'd like to briefly state that the Arcobaleno are still babies because I didn't completely follow the canon plot, as the usual with most fanficiton.

So some of you might have seen the change in rating, actually, I changed it back to Teen because I wasn't sure what the ratings even mean, they're kind of vague, yes? _**If someone could kindly help me with this, PM me =_='''' I need to discuss some swear words with y'all XDD**_

**lalala** - I don't remember what Satsu looks like XD black hair, scar on her neck and I don't remember what color I gave her eyes XDD I think it's black as well. The CEDEF is around, but Iemitsu is not the boss anymore, anyway these questions will come out during the following chapters XDD I'll not only have all the guardians in one chapter, but more people ;) PATIENCE DEAR

**shanagi - **A small cut won't affect anything, I'm afraid. It uses zero to minimal power but those details will be revealed later on. :)

* * *

"Your deal still stands, I assume? Because even you won't come out of it alive if you break our agreement, Marco." A single ring on a man's finger, the horned design glinting under the morning sun. It looked to be a casual tea party between business partners. A cup of tea for each man.

"Of course, Rovin." The older man sipped his jasmine tea, the taste quite too strong for him to enjoy. "You use the girl once. That's our agreement, if you happen to forget…" An exceptional killing intent appeared around the table and the older man could not meet the other's eyes. A hand gripping the cup of tea, a slight twitch of the finger and that was enough for the glass to shatter in pieces, jasmine tea spilling on the white table cloth.

The older man could only stay silent as an agreement.

* * *

"…and Satsuki? She's well?"

"She's fine as of now. Nothing's happened… yet."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, the line only transmitting the sound of clothes shuffling, steady breathing and then, a hearty laugh. "There's a lot of people there who can protect her, including you, she'll be fine."

"You dumb baseball head I sent you a copy of the prophecy, didn't you see?" Papers ruffled, unfolding the piece of A4 paper and smoothing it down. "I saw. You have to be on guard." A sound of disappointment from the other line and a reply out of frustration: "YOU have to be on guard. Things that happen to Kyoko could set things off."

A thoughtful sigh came out of the Rain Guardian's lips, phone still on his ear, looking at the printed prophecy in his hands. "The disappearance of the sun's rays, huh…? But do you really believe in predictions, Gokudera?"

"You know damn well that I don't, but it's the only thing we have." For one, Yuni predicted very well. This was something Gokudera couldn't deny, but this prophecy was written by someone unknown, he wouldn't trust the sources but turning a blind eye from it might prove to be fatal. He was already one step ahead, he'd already asked Yuni what she saw in Satsuki's or Kyoko's future but she said that it was clouded. That perhaps, someone was trying to interfere with their written fate. She was right on that account.

Gokudera looked at his own paper, he had an additional document that he sent to Japan base, one that contained his handwriting, word over word and calculations over calculations. His handwriting wasn't the best, but it was understandable and he had reason to believe it was useful. A clear paragraph on the middle of the lined paper could be seen, a star next to it to indicate that it was important.

_"A Millennium of Power page 524 - The first recorded instance of miraculous healing was in 1640, although the concept was around since the 1000s_  
_page 631 - In 1770, it was determined that a miraculous healer's life span is shorter than of the average person... __self-healing does not work on the healer__  
__Mental diseases and psychological disabilities are out of their range... page 643 - Several people who have the potential usually do no realize it...  
__differences occur among healers... page 655 - Resurrection occurs when the body and soul are both revived...  
__1782, Yaser states that miraculous healers like him can only revitalize the body but not the mind and soul...  
__page 661 - claim made that resurrections occur, but no conrete proof...  
__page 666 - __Most healers die with a healthy body...t__here is no known cause for their deaths..."_

That was as much as he could find about anything related to her. It was close enough, but there was still something missing and it was time for him to get backup and support from the others. He had several people in his mind to ask and Yamamoto had actually come up with a list of useful people to inquire, the only problem now was mobilize people. _  
_

"Ahehe. You've surely gotten yourself in trouble this time. Promising Dr. Shamal not to tell anyone then reprinting the prophecy for everyone."

"…Does it matter? The only people who would pay attention to it are Chrome and you."

"Ah, how did you know? Ahahaha! That's quite accurate, Gokudera."

"Stupid cow is too young to understand anything. Lawnhead is already preoccupied with his sister. Discipline freak doesn't care. That leaves you and Chrome."

"Actually Hibari-san said he needs to bite Satsuki-chan to death, something about his bird."

"…We don't need anyone else biting her to death."

He laughed too much, that baseball freak, but he wouldn't be Yamamoto Takeshi without the constant energetic positivity.

"That, and Mukuro said he'd help."

This came as a rarity and surprise. Gokudera wasn't quite sure if it was a good or bad thing. "...but he won't be using his body. You know him." The man who was powerful enough with illusions alone, Gokudera should have known. Although, if Gokudera had to take a guess, Mukuro Rokudo was only interested because of Satsuki's work on Chrome, in fact, the feared illusionist might have a different definition of "help". That man hated the mafia and he had valid reason to.

"The Varia? Do they know?"

"I'm not sure I should tell those Varia freaks. Troublesome bastards." Even then, everyone knew they were still family. A great asset by the side of Vongola and each member had their own interests, the only problem was, Gokudera wasn't fond of asking the independent group for help.

"and Tsuna?"

The Storm Guardian became silent at this. This was the decision he had been contemplating for several days since the beginning. The tenth was highest on the list with the right to know but Satsuki had the tenth occupied these days. If Gokudera hadn't known better, he would have thought that Satsuki already told him.

"but she's not the kind of person to say anything about it."

"Hmmm? You mean Satsuki-chan? That's right, she's good at hiding things isn't she?" It wasn't really a good thing no matter how nice Yamamoto made it sound. In fact it was a difficult trait of hers, being unreadable and firm with her decisions.

"I'll tell the tenth soon." As soon as possible, maybe even now, he thought as he glanced at the clock. There was time to spare before lunch. "Be on your guard." He reminded the Rain Guardian for the umpteenth time in the week. That was the end of the call as he decided it, cutting off Yamamoto mid-laugh. Gokudera was convinced he did the right thing, if there was one thing his mind retained in all of the battles Vongola fought, it was that Vongola functioned on teamwork.

"Ushishishi… Who are you calling troublesome bastards, Vongola Storm?"

* * *

"…I feel sleepy."

"Ehhhh?! But Kyoko-chan it's just the middle of the day!" Kyoko tried to stop herself from yawning in order not to upset Haru even more. They were at the indoor pool of the Vongola mansion with Bianchi and Chrome, both of whom had not submerged into the water but dipped their legs by the edge of the pool.

Come to think of it, Chrome observed, Kyoko had been sleeping in a lot these days. There was something highly shady with her sleeping behavior. Chrome glanced at Bianchi who nodded her head, understanding what the Mist guardian had to do. She lifted herself up from the pool and started towards the doors, wrapping herself in her usual coat and then a towel.

"Mm? Something the matter Chrome-chan?"

She curved her head towards the left where Lambo was sitting next to Ryohei who was talking with his mouth full and looking curiously at Chrome. She shook her head and said she just had to check Kyoko's room. Ryohei smiled big at her and said "Thanks" in an extreme way, extremely appreciating Chrome's extreme guard on Kyoko. She only forced out a smile at the Sun guardian and continued up to the girl's floor.

She stepped in front of Kyoko's door and pushed it open, there was an unexpected presence in the room forcing her to summon the trident and urgently point it at the intruder. It took a couple of seconds to comprehend that it was just Takeshi Yamamoto. She sighed in relief and put her weapon down, examining what the other guardian was doing.

"Sorry Chrome-chan, didn't mean to startle you."

She shook her head, although Yamamoto couldn't see her. "I just had to make sure…" Seeing Yamamoto's serious face wasn't something unusual throughout those ten years, being a mafia was difficult and it took some tolls on them. In Yamamoto's case, it took away a little of his positivity and naivety.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't notice until now…" Chrome started pulling the trident closer to her and looking around Kyoko's room. No. Even now, she couldn't feel anything different in the room, it was perfectly normal to her but her instincts told her something was amiss. The Rain guardian was using his flame radar around the room and spread it out into a wider perimeter.

"Don't worry about it, Chrome-chan. We have each other's back." Yamamoto turned towards her and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back and stepped away from the room, giving him space to administer his flame radar.

"Hmph. You won't find anything there." The other flame radar user appeared behind Chrome, startling her once again. The guardians were so skilled at masking their presence that it sometimes frightened her. This one however, was a little rough around the edges. "K-Kyoya-san."

"Ah, so you noticed too, eh, Kyoya?" The Rain guardian lifted his flame and it diminished back into his ring, completely turning to the other two and shutting the door to Kyoko's room. Hibari folded his arms, face as unreadable as ever. "It only comes at night." Yamamoto rubbed his chin at this, seemingly serious for a few seconds before breaking into a smile.

"Then we'll be ready for it tonight."


	16. Heart To Heart

A/N: This chapter is it.  
That's all.

KKUT!

I'd just like to say that Mammon and Reborn are still babies because... they just are. I'm not completely following the canon plot. Fran isn't around because of something else :P

**shanagi** - Aweeeeee, I know what you mean, sometimes I only like to read the romantic stuff, but I told myself this would be romance/action/adventure so for the next coming chapters, it's mostly action XDD **Fortunately, there is romance in this one, but the following chapters won't have much, it's more action.**

**lalala** - Hahaha, about Ryohei, the Sun Trowel is the main healing weapon by Vongola Sun, it can heal small wounds but** fatal injuries would still need time**. Also, over-activation of the Sun Trowel, meaning using it too many times, may lead to **cellular death of the injured person** (The Sun Trowel works by using Sun Flames that activate cells of the injured area, activating it too much may speed up cellular growth and cause it to die). So Ryohei helps out with healing, as usual for a Sun Guardian, but Satsuki is their main. When it comes to fighting, Ryohei is better than Satsuki so I also imagine Ryohei gets beat up more and has less energy :P XDD and What, no XD Kyoko is the one being observed, read back on the previous chapters XD Scar is on chapter 1 XD All your other questions about CEDEF, Belphegor and Kyoya will be answered in the next few following chapters. XDD

_**P.S. **_  
_**Ryohei : This chapter has EXTREME swearing!**_

* * *

"…I told you to bring his arm back!"

"E-Eh?! S-Satsuki-chan? What are you doing out of bed?!" They were piling up in the hospital. Millefiore, Varia and Vongola, but it seemed like Varia had more damage done to them. The Arcobaleno Representative battle was one of the most challenging ones she had ever seen. She herself was thrown into battle and barely survived everything but there was a sense of togetherness during that era. The power of alliances and companionship, it was something that made her stronger and more determined.

"I lost his real arm." Mammon simply stated, "I'm supplying them with their missing limbs and organs." His illusions were that powerful, to trick someone into thinking they still had their whole body intact and that they were still capable of living. As Reborn said, much like Mukuro with Chrome's.

"…Them? Who is them?" Satsuki was almost afraid to ask, looking at the unconscious Xanxus' it was already bad enough someone was missing an arm. "Jager pierced through Squalo's heart." Her blood ran cold, what was with these people and losing their body organs and parts? "I-I can't help him if he's… not breathing anymore." Tsuna had seen the pain in her face when she submitted to that reality, in a way, they were much alike in this aspect. They couldn't stand it if they couldn't help people, they couldn't stand being useless.

No. That was something she couldn't do. She couldn't bring someone back from the dead and no one really expected her to. Satsuki only assumed Squalo was at that state already because the heart was a fatal point. "VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU I WAS DEAD?!" She reeled back in surprise at the long, messy hair and resentful eyes glaring at her. In all honesty she had never had a proper conversation with them before, she didn't know how these people were but she only had one word in her mind. _Insane._ Mammon kicked Squalo back on the bed and reiterated his point, "I told you already I'm supplying him with a heart. He's breathing, you just have to restore it." _How do these people even…?_

She couldn't comprehend the life span of these people, not that she was complaining they were still alive but it was the first time she had seen things in such a different level. She also couldn't understand why the person who had an injured heart was conscious and yet the one who only had a missing arm was knocked out. She would only later know that Xanxus had the habit of falling asleep at arbitrary times. "D-Don't overwork yourself, Satsuki-chan." Tsuna was fast to observe that she was getting distressed, Reborn following. "They can wait, Mammon's doing a good job with them."

That may be so, she thought, but there was something bereaving with using illusions to recreate your body and reality. "It's alright, I'm alright." She reassured herself more than anyone in the hospital room. She walked over to Squalo who still seemed upset on being called dead, folding his arms and staring pointedly at Satsuki. She on the other hand, didn't know if an apology was needed.

None the less she hovered her hand above his chest, hand glowing a faint rose and the so called rosy flame dancing around her fingers. Mammon's illusions were superbly done, there were no signs of damage at all, she wondered how long Squalo could live with an illusory heart but looking at Chrome alone answered her question. However, if the illusionist were to die, then… She focused her attention back on Squalo, judging the speed of healing she was doing. "I think you can lift the illusion now." She signaled to Mammon and he did just as told. Squalo winced and made a sound of disapproval, he could feel the pain of his wound, but it was slowly diminishing, the inner tissues of his chest weaving together and forming new ones, muscles building right where they were supposed to be and finally the skin covering it just the way they had before. Good as new and the swordsman hadn't even noticed that Satsuki had moved on to Xanxus already, leaving him to look at the void she had just closed. _What exactly was that trick?_ It was the first time he'd experienced it.

It was as if his heart was never pierced.

"You remember right?" Levi pulled the swordsman back into present day, watching as he just scoffed. "Ushishi… I remember too, I saw it." Bel said, legs propped up on their meeting table and body half-lying on the chair. "I think captain would still be waiting for a heart transplant if not for that." Lussuria snickered behind his hand and Belphegor aided him in his teasing "Yeah, ushi, who would want to give a heart to a scary shark?" Levi couldn't help but join in the conviviality as well. "He's better off a heart_**less**_ killer. Get it?" The three broke out into controlled laughter and Squalo instantly subjected them to a ruthless bash on the head with the flat side of his arm sword, after which they tried to silence themselves.

"Fucking bastards! Even after ten fucking years!" The three of them only grinned at each other. Well, Squalo couldn't blame them, he liked to make fun of the boss as well when he had the opportunity, laughing at his weird mannerisms and way of doing things. You would think that something had changed in ten years, but nothing much did.

"and you're late!" Squalo shouted at Mammon who thought that he had gone in unnoticed. "Did I miss something important?" The baby asked, unfazed. "No, just a couple of jokes." Levi assured him and got another glaring look from Squalo. "…and Satsuki's situation." Lussuria added. Out them all, Lussuria was the only one who had a proper conversation with Satsuki. Often, the fashionist would give her tips on which clothes were trendy and which were not, most of the time though, Satsuki wouldn't remember half of what he said. She rarely was interested in those things.

"Oh, that girl. I saw her with Sawada just now." This piece of information was like meat thrown into a cage of hungry lions. "Ushi, what's up with that? Mink told me they get along pretty well these days." Bel folded his arms behind his head and tilted the chair back and forth. "They went out a couple of days ago and Satsuki-chan used the dress I gave her!" Lussuria seemed more into the fact that someone wore something he recommended. "Huh, is that why Sawada tagged along all the way here? Are they dating?" Levi questioned, propping his head on one hand and looking at the table of killers meddling on the relationship of others.

"I bet 100 bucks they'll hook up." Mammon started his game of money, wanting more than he already had. "WOAH! That's pretty high money." Levi said, leaning closer to the table, getting interested. "Ushi, I play $150 it'll take them a year, Sawada is a slow kid." This statement from Bel caused snickers around the table "…But what about that other girl in Japan?" The whole table turned their heads to look at Squalo who couldn't help but contribute to the discussion. The table was quiet, the only sounds being from Xanxus eating his meal and not actually caring about what they were contemplating on. Lussuria was the one who spoke up, "…Well, at least Tsunayoshi-kun doesn't turn into a tomato anymore when he sees girls" The whole table, including Squalo, snickered, laughter gradually growing louder in intensity.

"You fucking idiots!" A wine glass, plate and spoon flew across the room, Squalo having to duck because he was closest to the boss' desk. All three things went flying towards the door, shattering and falling into shards on the ground. "MAKE A DECISION AND GET OUT!" He couldn't even have a decent meal around here what with them always bothering him and prolonging meeting time. It should've been over an hour ago. "…Boss we were just waiting for you to speak up." Levi stated, irking the Varia boss and making him stab his piece of steak with his fork. "I could have lived without an arm." After all, Squalo didn't have his left one, Xanxus was only stating the truth. It seemed as if that was the end of the meeting. One sentence from the boss that translated to a definite "no".

"…but in the shitty shark's interest, we fight when needed." It took a while for that sentence to sink in with the members. Squalo being the first to react to it. "V-VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! Don't make it sound like I'm the only one who wants to do this, shitty boss…" He mumbled the later part, earning an easily dodged flying knife in his direction. Each member had their different take on the situation, Belphegor, being the first one to find out with his meddling eavesdropping skills, felt rather indifferent at Satsuki's situation. He didn't know her well enough and she hadn't done anything for him, Levi thinking in the same way. Although, they wouldn't deny that they felt a little indebted to the girl for fixing their boss and captain. In fact all of them had felt indebted to her, just in varying degrees.

"…Is that it? I need to go make some money." It was clear to Mammon that this meeting was finished.

* * *

Satsuki sneezed, that was the third time in a row and she couldn't help but glare at the papers she was holding. Someone must have been talking about her. "Ah, is it cold?" Tsuna asked, concerned and standing to turn up the temperature of the air-conditioning in his office. She shook her head vigorously, "No... I just, my nose is itchy." He chuckled at her response and took the papers she was holding from her, their fingers slightly brushing together, sending an unfamiliar jolt through Tsuna's arm, a feeling which he brushed away a minute later.

Those were his paperwork. Usually, Gokudera would be the one helping him, but the Storm was nowhere to be found, as usual. "You don't really have to read all of them, Satsuki-chan, they're usually just the same things over and over again." He gave a small grin, not wanting to admit that he skipped through some paperwork. "Hm, really?" She asked, looking at another paper she had just picked up. The handwriting on this one was certainly neat and pretty, definitely from a woman. "Dear Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi..." She skipped to the middle of the letter when she found something more interesting. "If you could be so kind as to grace me with your presence, perhaps we can have dinner together under the romantic shade of the moonl-"

The paper was instantly grabbed away from her hands, a slightly red Tsuna looking at it. "S-Satsuki! If you have to read it, don't read it out loud!" She couldn't contain her laughter at Tsuna's bewildered face, although he composed himself quite quickly and just sighed at her with a light shake of his head. "I didn't know you were getting love confessions, boss" He sighed once again, looking quite bothered by it "I don't write them back... but those letters aren't usually out in the open." He had no idea how that ended up with her.

"Ohhhh, heart-breaker. That's cold." He gave her a sheepish smile "I would if I had the time." She smiled a little, amused by her little discovery and shuffled some papers together. "And what would you say, if you had the time?" It was just an innocent question that she thought would be fun to ask, she didn't expect anything weird coming out from it but her expectations were thwarted. "Mmm... That I already have someone else in mind." It was lucky that she wasn't looking at his face at that moment, trying to busy herself with the papers she had actually already read. He took a quick glance at her, in all honesty he hadn't known why that came out from his mouth, it was almost an automatic response programmed in his dialogue system.

"Well, Kyoko-chan **_is_** a cute girl." She smiled a little, standing from the couch and placing the pile of papers neatly on his desk. He looked up at her face when she did so, he couldn't read anything from it, but he didn't know what he was expecting either. _Kyoko-chan, huh... That's right... _Once upon a time it would be a definite Kyoko-chan but... He smiled and chuckled under his breath, causing Satsuki to tilt her head a little in wonder, catching his soft gaze on hers. "Maybe." _What? _Satsuki's breath caught in her throat and she turned away from her boss, walking over to the door since her job here was done. "I-I better get going and... do my other chores." The door slammed behind her before the Vongola boss could even say anything, leaving an amused trail on his lips.

_Maybe..._


	17. Trouble

A/N: There's a lot of clues here :P Dig them up and figure things out or just wait cause things will be revealed soon XDD

**WhitishBlack -** I forgot to give a shoutout to you on the previous chapter T_T but that's cause I've been messaging you back and forth XDD Good luck with your schoolwork :P Finish them before reading fanfictions or watching anime XDD

**shanagi95 and MusicofMadness -** Thanks for the review~ *heart*

**lalala - **Dear, in the previous chapters (forgot which one) it was explained that Satsuki uses her own life energy to heal, so it kind of saps away her lifespan, depending on the intensity of the wound, big wounds saps away more life and etc :) the other details will be there later on. About Chrome's organs, it'll go into detail as well in the following chapters. I don't know if it's chapter one or two but Satsuki joined during the Varia arc where Tsuna vs Xanxus happened. There's no such thing as stupid questions, plus, it clears up my own head anyways so it's appreciated. Good luck with your work as well, finish them before reading fanfictions, lol.

* * *

The phone was ringing. When her phone rang, it could only be one of two people. Shamal or Gokudera, The two had an uncanny similarity when placing phone calls, perhaps it was passed on from tutor to student. "Hello?" She picked it up without thinking, without looking at the receiver to see that it was an unknown number.

"Satsuki, it's me, Matteo." She hadn't talked to him since the plane ride, completely ignored him because he hadn't listened to her request. Her selfish request to fight alongside him and wipe out Picotta.

"Oh, hi." It was the only words that would leave her mouth, a taste of bitterness hovering around her lips. She didn't know what else to say but thankfully, the Milton boss had his speech figured out. "…I'm sorry for the other day. I didn't feel it right to put you in harm's way." He simply explained. He had said this twice already, it's not as if Satsuki couldn't comprehend his reasons but her motives were clear and her desire was strong at that time.

"…No, I'm sorry. It was selfish of me to ask." She still wanted to go, wanted to avenge her family and get answers behind Picotta's reason for killing them. All she needed to know was a reason. "Well, yes... about that matter..." Matteo started, his voice slightly faltering thinking of what to say. Satsuki was suddenly interested, was there something he found out again? "We clashed with Picotta a few days ago, I'm glad you weren't there." There was a certain pain in his voice, as if the attack was more than just an attack but a devastation. "They... have a few more documents."

There was a prickle down her spine that travelled to her arms and all over her body. "I... see." She wanted to see them. The feelings of the last few days fading away. That one day in Venice with Tsunayoshi Sawada made her think that something changed immensely. She thought that she could leave the past as mere memories, just as Shamal had been telling her, some things were better left uncovered but it wasn't as she thought. The moment an opportunity was presented to her, she took hold of it as if it was a dying will.

"I'm not sure it's alright to talk about it over the phone." Matteo stated, a light shuffling on the other side. "but, there's a ball on Friday you see, to celebrate my birthday." Oh, his birthday. She hadn't realized he was born on the same month as her, now she needed to get another gift. "It's not held at our headquarters, unfortunately. It's still far too dangerous there but we can discuss the documents at that time." She made a sound of understanding, although that didn't let him know if she would be going or not.

"You don't have to come... if you don't want to... I could deliver the documents personally to you instead..." He finally said when she didn't give him a concrete answer for a while. She only smiled a little behind the phone "It'll leave a good memory, the ball, I mean. I can bring my friends, right?" A sigh of relief, as if he had been holding his breath for her to say yes.

"Of course, the Vongola is welcome. I'll send an official invitation soon."

* * *

It would be late afternoon in Italy right now. Yamamoto thought, unknowingly and quietly sitting outside Kyoko's room, katana resting next to him against the wall. On Kyoko's balcony was Hibari, eyes closed and arms behind his head, seemingly expecting nothing to happen. Both guardians had their flame radar activated while Kyoko slept in the dead of the night, it would tell them of the slightest vibration in the air of another presence. Excluding Hibari, Chrome and Kyoko; Yamamoto could not feel anything out of the ordinary.

Chrome sat directly in front of Yamamoto, looking at Kyoko's door. She wasn't anxious but she wasn't completely comfortable as well. Surely, this threat couldn't be as difficult as all the others they had encountered. Vongola was strong and no entity should ever mess with her family.

The mechanical watch on Takeshi's wrist crackled with static, Hibari's voice coming from the other end. "…Send the girl in." Yamamoto felt it as well, a slight twitch in the air and a presence he could not identify for it was only there a split second. Chrome heard and didn't have to be told a second time. "Cambio Forma…" Her ring glowed and burst with indigo flames, the owl Mukurou appearing on her shoulder "Devil Lens." Mukurou was engulfed in deep indigo, it's wings spreading out and slowly disintegrating on Chrome's eyes. A set of monocle lenses hovered in front of her eyes as if glasses resting on her nose. She opened the door without a second thought and stepped in, the lens allowing her to see through illusions.

Yamamoto moved as well, standing behind Chrome and increasing the radius of his flame radar. "…There's no illusions..." The moment she declared that an immense aura filled the room, she tensed in shock at the sudden killing intent weighing her down. Hibari and Yamamoto were in the room in an instant, Rain guardian shielding Kyoko from what was coming and Hibari using his flame to determine where the source was. Their mechanical watches crackled, Ryohei's voice coming through but none of them answered back "What was that?!"

Hibari wheeled around to face Takeshi, glaring at the girl he was shielding. Then, as if nothing had even happened, the killing intent was completely gone with a snap of the fingers. Chrome activated the lens again, making sure that whatever it was, wasn't masked by an illusion. The three of them stood there for a while, testing out the waters, weapons on the ready, yet nothing came. They were left confused, "…It's gone?" Chrome's eyes frantically scanned the room, her body still remembered the dark aura that surrounded them a while ago. "No." Hibari stated, shifting the other two guardians' attention towards him. He pointed a tonfa at Kyoko, "It's coming from her."

Chrome gasped and pushed Yamamoto out of the way, kneeling next to Kyoko. "Kyoko-chan…?" The girl was still breathing, that was the best sign they could have. Chrome stretched her legs to tower above the sleeping girl's form while Yamamoto transmitted a message to Ryohei "I think you better come up." and continued to watch the two girls. Hibari was still looking at Kyoko, rather confused and intrigued at what just transpired.

When Ryohei came running towards his sister's room the first thing he saw was that she was still sleeping, Chrome kneeling next to her. Yamamoto was about to explain the short intrusion they had in the room but got cut off by a despondent cry. "Oh no...!" Chrome stared at Kyoko, realizing something in that short span of time looking at her. She took the sleeping girl by the shoulders and shook her. No response. She tried again, rather violently this time almost causing Ryohei to step up if the illusionist hadn't slumped down to the ground, defeated. Her voice quivering as she spoke, "She won't wake up."

It was her turn to be nudged away by Ryohei and she did nothing but make space for him. Ryohei looked at his sister's face, she seemed at peace as if nothing had bothered her at all but she was fast asleep. She was alive, breathing, and that was what mattered. "Kyoko..." His face contorted to that of pain, Hibari and Yamamoto were analyzing the situation, the former thinking where he had felt that presence before, it was somewhat similar while the latter was squeezing his brain for ideas, they still had time, something had to be done fast. "I-I have to enter her mind." Chrome brushed her incoming tears away and activated her flame right away.

"...Are you sure that's safe?" Yamamoto inquired, eyes holding a tint of worry. Chrome shook her head no. There was a way to do it, after all, she first met Mukuro Rokudo in a dream but she had no idea how. She had to try. There was no way she was giving Kyoko away. Chrome's fist tightened, her ring bursting with indigo mist flames, engulfing her hand. The flames disintegrated until they were untraceable by human eyes, entering Kyoko's mind. Someone was there, Chrome could feel a misfit in Kyoko's mind and it reached out to her. She took the bait, diving into Kyoko's mind only to be hit by a body-wrenching pain.

"Chrome!" Yamamoto moved forward in alarm at the girl's blood curdling scream. Her body was engulfed in a dark aura, different from her indigo mist but it left as soon as it came and retreated back into Kyoko's body. Chrome's body fell back, Ryohei moving just in time to catch her. "Chrome?!" The girl peeked an eye open, breath coming out in heaves. "H-Her mind..." Her long, untied tresses on her face. "There's a barrier, I c-can't take it off." It hurt to talk. That moment of black flame seemed to sap her energy and leave an ache reverberating in her body. A sob hit her throat, she felt so incompetent and tears started to form in her eyes. "It's alright, Chrome-chan." Yamamoto gave her that same smile, although smaller this time, repeating his words from before, "We have each other's backs." and it only served to make her tear up more. Hibari turned away and stalked out of the room. Although this seemed to be a heartless act, he was about to justify his decision. "Hmph... This room is going to get crowded." that man was on his way and the Cloud guardian was rather annoyed he was a second too late from hearing his voice.

"Kufufu... Don't cry, Chrome-chan, this battle is only suited for me."


	18. Hell

A/N: Too much "Kyoko-chan!" XDD Couldn't help it.

Well, as you might have guessed, things are starting to heat up and it will continue to do so for a while. Insert a little romance here and there but, this story IS under Adventure/Romance, so I'm sticking with that and it's like, my very first story with a legit plot line, not completely following the canon plot. So, bear with me XD** This chapter is one of my personal favorites because... it just is.** The title finally appears. :P

**556** - Things getting even more serious from here on XDD

**lalala** - This chapter answers your question, unless I'm mistaken and it's the next word file, not this one. As for your clues: A) Kyoko is the Sun's rays. The Sun is Ryohei :P Either way A is half right, Tsuna won't quite be depressed but somewhat there B) is half right, about the choices Satsuki has to make but its not all about past vs present. The clue last chapter is mostly about Matteo :) Gokudera knows XD That'll be later on though.

* * *

The four walls of her mind seemed to endlessly expand through nothingness. It was dark, quiet and eerie. There was nothing in here she could see. She walked for a long time, trying to figure out where the exit was but found none. Then, there was a voice, a familiar one that gave her courage to keep going. "Kyoko-chan…?" She blinked and when she opened her eyes again, the world was a better place. She was suddenly in the middle of a field of flowers, the grass beneath her bare feet tickling her toes and the wind kissing her hair.

"Over here, Kyoko-chan!" Haru waved at her, a crown of flowers in her arms. She couldn't remember when she had gotten here, but it didn't matter, she felt at peace, it was beautiful and bright and everyone was happy. Haru giggled when she approached, laying the crown made of flowers atop her head. "It suits you!" Kyoko smiled at her friends and heard another familiar voice, although she wondered why he seemed so urgent.

"Kyoko-chan!" She turned and her beloved brother was there, his somewhat initially pained look turning into joy. "Kyoko-chan, don't wander off too far." He says and pushes his hands in his pockets, letting her enjoy the company of Haru, I-pin and Chrome. It was peaceful here, she couldn't remember anything but this happiness. They played for a long while, picking flowers, going to the waterfall while Ryohei followed them around, making sure they were out of trouble.

She had no sense of time in this paradise, only, as she went further into the forest and saw many more wonderful things, she'd realized that something was missing. "…Where are the others?" Her companions stopped, their backs towards her. Chrome turned and smiled at her, "They're not here right now, Kyoko-chan…" Her voice echoed in the walls of her head. _They're not here… They're not here… _Ah, yes, perhaps they were busy with one of their sumo wrestling or war games again but at least her onii-chan was here.

She turned, about to call out to him only to find that he wasn't there anymore. The knee tall grass swept by the wind picked up harder, she turned from her friends and looked around for her onii-chan. "Onii-chan?" She turned again, towards her friends this time but even they were gone, vanished into thin air. Her voice was stuck in her throat, looking around for any sign of life.

"Kufufu… There you are, it took a while to find you." Out of the trees on her left a tall man emerged although still under the shadows. Kyoko stepped back in caution, the presence the man gave off had her suspecting that he wasn't exactly a safe person, the kind of person her onii-chan would warn her about, like some person in one of their war games. "Ara? You better stick with me Kyoko-chan, or Chrome-chan will worry." At the mention of Chrome, Kyoko gasped and waited for the shadowed man to reveal himself.

Light finally shined on his tall frame, a trident in one hand, hair pinned up in a peculiar way that somehow reminded Kyoko of fruits and Chrome, he was wounded. A rough bruise on his cheek and his left side soaked with blood, but he didn't indicate any pain on his face. She'd seen him somewhere before, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Come Kyoko-chan, before he comes back with his illusions."

The said man was suddenly beside her in a split second, startling her but stayed by her side until she slowly nodded up at him, still in wonder. "Kyoko-chan!" Her onii-chan's voice called out to her, causing her to turn right back where she was once looking at. Ryohei had a fist up, glaring at Mukuro Rokudo. "Kyoko-chan! Don't listen to him!" Her onii-chan was first on the list of people she would listen to, she turned back at the pineapple haired man and frowned at him, then started to step towards her brother.

Mukuro grinned and didn't stop her, "Kyoko-chan! Don't listen to that imposter, to the extreme!" She swirled around once again, mouth agape at another replica of her brother, standing beside the man holding a trident. Although… this brother seemed to be more realistic. "O-onii…chan?" She looked back and forth, torn between the two, until more voices and more people came.

"Kyoko-chan!" A panting Tsuna came from the trees and stood beside the trident-man, "Kyoko-chan, you're alright. That's a relief." Tsuna smiled, several other people she recognized following behind him. Several people from the Vongola that had been with her since childhood. However, it wasn't as easy as she thought it was, for the other group followed suit, to her left was the group that had the trident-man and to the right where her "brother" had warned her not to believe the shady man.

Both sides had exactly the same group of people.

* * *

Emergency meetings weren't of typical nature, these meetings were the kind that blared on sound systems, telling guardians and famiglia members to gather in one room, no matter what they were doing at that time. In this case, Squalo had been taking a rest in the Varia hotsprings, head lying on a rock behind him until the siren went off and caused him to jump from his half lying position. "This is a call for an emergency meeting in the 2nd floor, Varia base living room." Squalo knew this voice and he was rather alarmed that the Decimo himself was speaking, though, he wasn't going to give up his hotspring time if he wasn't even needed.

"…All present Vongola guardians, including members of the independent assassination squad, Varia, are requested to attend." Squalo cursed under his breath and sat up, lingering in the warm water for a little bit, not wanting to leave the relaxing zone. "Annoying brats…" He sighed and got up, wrapping a towel around his middle.

It was only when he was in his normal combat clothes that he realized he didn't have any confidence that everyone would be in the meeting room. Varia members, for one, were already hard to control and expecting a complete table of members was atypical. "Tsk, I should have gone out today." He mumbled but sprinted towards the meeting room.

The door gave in when he pushed it and an astonishing sight greeted him, only his boss Xanxus wasn't there, everyone else was. "…I think we can get started then." So the Vongola tenth didn't expect Xanxus to come as well, and Squalo had no choice but to sit next to Belphegor. A holographic screen popped up at the end of the long table, showing an image from Japan. All the other Vongola guardians were there, all of them except Dokuro Chrome but one particular person caught Squalo's eye…

"Ah, stupid long haired captain." It took a while to register that the illusionist was talking about Squalo, but the other members of the Varia had caught on fast and were snickering behind their hands. "VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! SHUT YOUR TRAP YOU BRAT!" A few months of not seeing Fran and this was the greeting he gave, typical but if that was the case, then Mukuro Rokudo shouldn't be far.

"Fran…? Mukuro is around too?" Squalo took a quick glance down the long dining table, Vongola tenth Tsunayoshi Sawada looking to be collected and calm, much different from the way he was before. "Mm. Mukuro-sama is busy." Fran averted his gaze from the camera transmitting his image and Yamamoto took his place to talk. "…about that, Tsuna." Tsuna laid his folded hands down on the table, interested on what the Rain guardian had to say, he was the one who had requested for an emergency meeting after all.

"There was an attack a few hours ago… all guardians were on watch. Three of us were in Kyoko's room, the other two guarding the front and back entrance to the mansion." Tsuna tensed up. An attack. He was already itching to know what had happened, who was hurt and how wide the scope of it was. Yamamoto explained as clearly as he could the details of the presence they sensed, how they tried to prepare for it and how it left as soon as it came a few hours ago. "Kyoko-chan is alive and well but… she won't wake up."

Tsuna's fist tightened on the table, his teeth grit together and his head dipped low, denying anyone a look at his affronted eyes. This was trouble and whoever had done it would definitely have a price to pay. "Chrome said that someone was in Kyoko-chan's mind, she tried to enter it but got knocked back, so she's in the infirmary as of now." Mammon was standing on the table instead of sitting, for there was no chair suited for his height in that room. "A mind barrier, it's typical of high level illusionists and magic users." Satsuki shivered, a trickle of fear crawling up her spine. "A-Are they hurt badly? Kyoko-chan and Chrome-chan?" Maybe if she had stayed then she could have done something about it but Yamamoto shook his head, a seemingly soft smile on his face. He caught Gokudera's stare, that stare that warned him not to say anything about the prophecy or the documents in her presence. "They're alright, their bodies are okay."

"and there is no source of this threat?" Tsuna's voice was decibels lower, "No one came from the back door, I was there." Lambo said rather politely, looking at the screen. "There wasn't anyone up front either." Ryohei replied, voice toned down and it was clear that his stress and worry levels were far beyond that of anyone else in the room. "…It came out of nowhere." Hibari stated, arms folded on his front and eyes resting as if he wasn't listening at all. "That's right, it was suddenly in the room, I had Chrome check if it was an illusion but she said there was none." Yamamoto added to everyone's response.

"Why would this person specifically attack Sasagawa Kyoko?" Levi asked, that one question that had been lingering in his mind for a while. "It's the same person isn't it? That video we watched, a kind of obsession for dear Kyoko-chan…" Lambo replied to Levi's question, although that didn't clear up anything for the Varia, but it would have to wait till later. "…Her mind isn't guarded." Fran simply stated, completely ignoring the fact that Haru was also a vulnerable target.

"…and Mukuro, when did he show up?" Every detail was crucial to Tsuna, everything had to be analyzed and carefully thought of. "… He must have sensed the presence as well… it was rather immense, the killing intent." Yamamoto asserted. "Ding ding ding!" Everyone was alarmed at the sudden change in atmosphere, although this kid was rather oblivious to everything in the world. "That's right, Mukuro-sama sensed it all the way from Kokuyo Land."

All heads turned towards him, "but Mukuro-sama wouldn't waste his time on trivial things, he came here for a reason." Then he raised his hand, palm side towards the camera and the others, showing off the 666 Hell Ring on his finger. Yamamoto piped up for a few minutes, "Well, he did say the battle was only suited for him… So he, after he said that, he entrusted his body to us." Fran made a cross shape with his arms "…No, he entrusted his body to me." Yamamoto ignored him with a small smile, "and then he entered Kyoko-chan's mind and from then on… he's been asleep as well. We put him in the infirmary."

"Asleep?" Reborn queried, not exactly understanding to the fullest extent. "Mukuro-sama, has successfully entered Sasagawa-san's mind. His soul has partially left his body." Tsuna leaned back on his seat, staring pointedly at the camera making Fran speak up before the tenth could, "…I don't like that stare you're giving. It's scary." Yes, well, it wasn't every day that Tsuna made a serious face, Satsuki thought. "Is this the same as that time with Daemon Spade? What if someone possesses Mukuro's body while he isn't using it himself?" Tsuna suddenly asked, disturbed with the thought of someone using Mukuro's body again. "As I said, Mukuro-sama has only partially left his body, his soul is still connected to it..." The young illusionist's voice trailed off, leaving an opening for Bel to ask, "Ushishisi… How do we know it isn't that pineapple head who's causing all the trouble?" Tsuna hadn't wanted to doubt someone in his family, but it was well said by Prince the Ripper.

"…Bel-sempai your head still isn't screwed on right…" Belphegor stood and grit his teeth at the brat, wanting to murder him with his knives, Levi only pulled him back down on his seat. "No, it's not him…" Ryohei said, quite surely. "Wounds suddenly appeared on Mukuro-san's original body, minutes after he entered Kyoko-chan's mind." There was a change in air as surprise was etched on everyone's faces, "Wounds…? You mean to say that there's a battle going on wherever Mukuro's soul is now and since his soul is still partially connected to his body, the wounds show up." It was with confidence that Gokudera stated this, meaning that he was sure of his conclusion. "Ding ding ding. Correct again." Fran said, holding up a cardboard cutout with a checkmark on it.

Ryohei nodded, "That's right but we can't do anything about it." The Sun guardians' fist tightened, "Only Mukuro-san can enter as of now and the fact that no wounds appeared on Kyoko-chan's body… whatever is happening there, he's doing well in protecting her." Satsuki was rather touched by this fact, Rokudo Mukuro who didn't want to have anything to do with the mafia was taking a stand… but she didn't believe it to have no benefits to the feared illusionist, as Fran said, there was a reason behind Mukuro's actions.

"No one's listening to me. I already said Mukuro-sama isn't interested in protecting anyone." Fran mumbled from the back, a Lussuria doll suddenly appearing on his hand as a puppet. Fran made it talk in a strikingly similar high-pitched voice. "Ahhhh! Fran-chan, you can talk to me." Lussuria didn't know whether or not to kick the holographic screen or unplug the thing. "Right, as I was saying…" Fran turned his head away from the puppet and looked at everyone.

"Mukuro-sama came to retrieve the Hell Ring."


	19. Selfish VS Selfless

A/N: There is so little romance here that I can't even see it. lol. This chapter is all about the action :P

**So much reviews for the previous chapter! I love you guys XD **

**shanagi95 - not much romance here, hahaha~ **

**Nao - Zombie? ._. I don't have brains, don't eat me**

**royalanemone11 - updating XD Very well done on the prophecy :) "A boy who is born on the longest month, will be the first to know and be on the hunt. The month after this another boy is born" You got this part wrong, but Gokudera got it wrong as well ;) but he has it figured out now and in the coming chapters. "Anthony's eyes on Cleopatra's shall stain" Very, very well done on the research, there is a reason I chose Anthony and Cleopatra, guess we'll find out in the next few chapters ;) "Have her choose two then learn to forgive" The choice is not between a mafia life or a normal life, but something else that will be revealed later. The rest is very close and good, so far you're the one who's come the closest to solving the prophecy. Watch out for clues! XD**

**lalala - You don't have an obligation/responsibility to review dear. XD but I really really appreciate it. Thanks! Aha so you're confused with the Mukuro/Kyoko happening XDD The next chapter should clear it up :) (Not this one) I didn't put Enma anywhere in the next chapters XD I figured Tsuna wouldn't want a non-family involved XD Same with Hana, she's tucked away somewhere safe :P As for Gokudera knowing, he's kind of got the prophecy figured out, half of it at least but is working behind the scenes and won't be revealed till later. Oh and about the babies still being in their baby forms... because at the end of the Arco Trials arc, they said that they would start to grow year by year so since this is ten years later, that would mean Reborn and Mammon and them would only be ten years old in body. I found it quite troublesome to picture a ten year old Reborn and Mammon in my head... so I stuck with their baby forms. Thus I said I didn't completely follow the canon plot XDD**

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The meeting had lasted longer than she had thought. Satsuki had opted to sit on the chair closest to Tsuna, on his left, since Gokudera insisted he was the "right hand" and needed to sit on his right. The idea of a hell ring piqued everyone's interest and it didn't seem like the Vongola guardians in Japan knew of this information as well.

"The hell rings…" Reborn stood on the table and passed a look at Mammon, "There are only six in existence." The Arcobaleno knew well and everyone on the table should have known well where the five rings were. "Ding ding ding, that's right! Mukuro-sama is in possession of two hell rings." Fran stated, showing two fingers up. That was why Mukuro Rokudo's power was so immense, he had the power of two hell rings. "The other was with Genkishi…" Tsuna mumbled, knowing well the Millefiore swordsman he fought against. "One with Kawahira." Mammon stated, the so called 'checker-face' coming into his mind. "The other with the great Fran." Fran himself stated, putting his hand up again to show his 666 Hell ring, getting glares from members of the Varia.

"So the other one… is with this enemy?" Satsuki stated warily, with Fran nodding on the other side of the hologram. "The last hell ring, the horned ring is with the enemy. The only thing we know about it is that it contains the usual Hell ring ability, War Potential Doubling." _Which is?_ Satsuki thought in her head, afraid to ask the question out loud for it seemed like it was expected for everyone to know. "Shoichi-nii said that it's like a contract with the devil, and increases your strength a lot." Lambo said, rocking his chair back and forth on its hind legs. "It's not a ring to mess with. Perhaps Mukuro was right to have stepped up." Reborn acknowledged, tipping his hat down to shadow his eyes.

"…but it's not safe for him to have three hell rings as well." Squalo stated, weighing the idea of Mukuro having an additional hell ring, it was like being invincible. There was a sound of amusement on the other end, a smiling Fran speaking up, "Oh don't worry captain, Mukuro-sama said he'd give it to me." There was a moment of silence in the Varia meeting room, Levi speaking up first in a murmur. "That sounds like an even worse idea…" Belphegor following suit, "Ushi, We're all better off with Mukuro Rokudo having it." Lussuria whined, "Hmmm… Fran won't put it to good use." Squalo was rather irked at this idea, "We might as well destroy the ring." and Mammon put out his best idea in years. "You're just my replacement, so just give it to me." Fran put on his usual frown, "Ah, how cruel, these old men have no confidence in me at all."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD MEN?!" Half of the table stood up and glared at the projected screen as if it was the real Fran. "VOIIIIIIIII! When I get my hands on you I'll cut you up real quick!" Yamamoto quickly stepped up with a forced and nervous smile, "I-In any case, what do we do now?" The Varia members all sat down after individually imagining their 'ways to kill Fran' and grinning to themselves with their thoughts. The question was directed at Tsuna, who had been thinking all that time around the circumstances. The first thing he noticed was the uncanny timing of everything.

"Tenth…" He passed a look at Gokudera, their eyes meeting for a brief moment and a silent message passed from Storm to Sky. Their mind reeled back to this morning, the two of them had talked, Gokudera had finally passed his information on Satsuki's prophecy to Tsuna. "…So she knew all this time that she'd been giving her life for ours?" Gokudera retraced his question, "Since the kid Matteo showed up, yes." Tsuna didn't know why Gokudera was calling Matteo a 'kid' when they were pretty much the same age. "and is she concerned about it?" Tsuna asked, looking at the prophecy in his hands. Gokudera had an answer to that: Satsuki didn't care much about the prophecy, because it seemed like she had forgotten about it completely but a certain Arcobaleno beat him to it. "Satsuki never cared about it." The two men swerved their head towards the window pane, they had thought they were alone in the office. "R-Reborn-san." Gokudera stuttered, thinking that the baby might object to everyone knowing.

"Well, it was expected." Reborn smiled. "Satsuki is a selfless person. Especially towards people she cares about." Tsuna's eyes softened at this and he sighed a little, feeling a pinch in his heart, blaming himself for not even noticing. "She's not in any immediate danger because of the healing right?" Reborn looked up at Tsuna, "No, at least from our sources, her energy isn't depleted yet." Tsuna wasn't interested on who his sources were, he didn't want any other answer than that, anyway.

"Something's happening then." Tsuna said with finality, referring to the prophecy. He'd seen it already and had taken the lines by heart. If it wasn't a fake, it was a big warning. "Things could change easily." Reborn warned, yet there was something else he wanted to say. "…but Satsuki won't blame you for anything of it." There was an unknown silence. Tsuna didn't even know what was happening anymore, what he had to do.

"From the beginning, I gave her a choice." Reborn remembered clearly his own words ten years ago and the fire in the girl's eyes. _You have a long life ahead of you… Many people aren't given a choice. You're one of the fortunate ones who can turn away. _"and from the beginning, she chose to stand by you, no good Tsuna."

_That's right. _Tsuna folded his hands back together, his mind working how a Vongola boss' should. _Even if you weren't a guardian… _"Contact Basil, Yamamoto…" His eyes picked up from the table towards the holographic screen. "and I entrust Kyoko-chan to everyone in Japan." Satsuki herself was the one who stood up, looking at Tsuna as if he had gone ballistic. "W-What? We have to go back!" _That girl._ Squalo thought, eyes lingering on the protesting woman. _Everyone knows except her, how reckless, as always. _

"Don't you have business here, Satsuki?" Reborn asked, to which Satsuki didn't answer immediately, remembering Matteo's ball and the documents he held. "Y-Yeah but it doesn't mean Tsuna has to stay!" _No, it doesn't._ Tsuna nodded at the shocked girl, his eyes searching into hers. _But… _"Everyone stays where they are and I put my trust on them… That's an order."

_I think it's my turn to stand by you._

* * *

"…Do you really think it's alright, Lussuria-nee, for me to be going to a ball while…" She almost choked up, looking at the dresses Lussuria mysteriously had. "While Kyoko-chan is in danger and while everyone is trying to work out what is happening?" _Selfish, you're a selfish, selfish person. _Lussuria didn't answer immediately, for he as well was preoccupied by the amount of dresses he had. He didn't remember having this much. "Well, Satsuki-chan, you have something to do here, don't you?" _Maybe it didn't matter anymore_. She thought, scaring herself a little. The answers that for ten years, she had been searching for, she was almost ready to abandon it because her current family was in danger. _Maybe I should leave the past and focus on the present. _"and besides, you heard Sasagawa Ryohei, there's nothing we can do as of now. Whether we like it or not, Mukuro Rokudo is the only one who has immediate power." This much was true and it hurt Satsuki more than it saddened her. Ryohei… it must have been so hard for him.

"Oh! This one suits you!" Lussuria yanked a dress off from the closet and held it up in front of her, twirling her over to the mirror but as expected, her mind was still wandering from the present day and kept worrying about things in Japan. In the end she excused herself from the changing room and locked herself up in her room.

She'd know what Shamal would say again, locking herself up like this, but she needed time to think. She needed to reassure herself that everything in Japan would be fine, she had to put some trust in her family members, in Vongola. _Once I'm done here… I'll go back as soon as I can._ She looked at herself in the mirror, the scar on her neck still staring back at her. _…That's right, it's just a day more…_

_I'll get my answers and get out of here, back to them…_

* * *

"Do you really think your decision was the best?" Squalo questioned the younger boy, looking at his unruly brown hair and his thoughtful face, leaning on his office desk. Gokudera and Reborn were there, right after the meeting to discuss additional things. "Are you saying the tenth made the wrong decision?!" Gokudera glared at Squalo who just scoffed at him, "I'm asking if he holds any regret in his decision."

Tsuna sighed and leaned back against his chair, "If we all break up at this point, it will get messy. If me and Gokudera leave for Japan, who's to say what'll happen while we're on the plane?" He looked at the horizontal picture on his desk, a picture of his whole Vongola family. "They're waiting for an opportunity where I'm not allowed to move towards both sides, Japan or Italy."

Reborn sat on Tsuna's desk and continued where he left off, "It's logical reasoning, don't you think? Also, if the prophecy reads correctly, the trouble is here, in Italy." The prophecy. If not for that piece of paper, maybe this whole thing wouldn't have happened. No, Squalo thought, if not for that troublesome girl… "…If it wasn't for that girl-"

"Please don't blame her for this." Tsuna said with such urgency, cutting off Squalo and dipping his head lower, eyes shadowed over by his hair. "It isn't as much as her fault than it is mine… If I had paid a little more attention to her…" _Then things might have been different._ "Besides, don't you think she's given us enough, Squalo-san? A selfless **heart** like hers." Squalo's eye twitched at the smile Vongola tenth gave him, that and his use of the word heart wasn't an arbitrary usage.

"Mm?" Tsuna mumbled, the communicator in his office going off. He used it to have short meetings with people in Japan sometimes and it seemed that his message was coming from Yamamoto. He pressed the button on the receiver, another holographic screen hovering above the machine, showing Yamamoto's somewhat more relaxed face. "Ah, Tsuna, Hibari wanted to say something but he managed to fall asleep during the big meeting." Tsuna smiled nervously at this and Squalo thought of his own boss who managed to sleep anywhere at any time. Yamamoto's face turned serious and quite grim, "He said that, the presence in Kyoko's room was familiar. He'd sensed it somewhere before."

"Hibari said it was similar to Satsuki's."


	20. The Devil's Voice

A/N: Awe, lots of reviews for the previous chapter as well! I love you guys 3 So here, I updated fast XD

**I am just putting so much cliffhangers but I promise everything will make sense in the end... I hope XD Things might be confusing soon, but it will get better :) That's what stories are for~ Can't be fun without a little mystery here and there.**

**ninjalover, KHRlover, anom and shanagi95 - hahaha, it's a getting a little bit of suspense in there~ Thanks for the reviews!  
**

**royalanemone - Oh, I saw some pictures of Arcana, looks neat haha~ and the guardians are cute XDD **

**lalala - Oh yeah, well, there was a little romance XD Same here. Haha. Oh you know how Reborn is, reappears and disappears. XD Shamal is in his happy little clinic, probably sulking over Kyoko XD idk, with people like Shamal, Dino, Basil, Bianchi and etc. I feel as if they're not completely family. They're family, but they have their own little world to worry about, y'know? XD I got you into reviewing?! I'm honored. *poker face on* No really, I am. Haha Thanks so much!**

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She didn't know how long she'd been playing this game of tug of war, which group was the real one? Left with the trident man, or right with her brother? Then, out of nowhere, it was suddenly noisy on the left side, Yamamoto was laughing and Gokudera was glaring at him, like how they would usually start off their day. "Stop laughing for no reason you basebell head!" Yamamoto's face broke into a grin and a sheepish smile, "Sorry, it's just funny to see two versions of us." Ryohei had joined the commotion, "It's EXTREMELY confusing!" Haru, I-Pin and Chrome had thoughtful looks on their faces, "Ah, Kyoko-chan must be having a hard time… but it's alright, we'll eat cake and prepare food afterwards and forget about everything!" and the three laughed in unison. Satsuki only gave her a warm smile, she'd always been distant it seems, but she was always there, much like Hibari who had said nothing that whole time. Lambo winked at her, "We can play games once you come back, Kyoko-nee chan." Tsuna slightly slumped his shoulders at Gokudera and Yamamoto who were still bickering like a married couple. "M-Mou… There's not need to fight over it…"

"Enough!" The noisy group was suddenly thrown into a silence, the other Ryohei of the other group stepping up, the other Tsuna following suit behind him, declaring: "If you won't give us Kyoko, we'll have to fight for her." Realization struck Kyoko. It was almost automatic to step back from this group who had just declared war. Rokudo Mukuro grinned, looking a little more pleased with himself. "No…" Kyoko said, looking suspiciously at the group who had just stepped up. "Tsu-kun…" She started, taking a couple of more steps back towards Mukuro's group. "Tsu-kun would never say something like that!" and with that, she turned her back completely on the other group, running towards the comfort and familiarity she found with Mukuro's group.

"Kufufufu…" The illusionist chuckled under his breath, gripping his trident and keeping his illusion intact. There was a shift in energy and presence in the other group, a dark aura emerging on their front, a swirl of black energy coming from the ground, revealing a cloaked man. "You finally show yourself, yet you hide under a hood." Mukuro stated pointing his trident at him. "It's a pity really, your illusions." Mukuro said, referring to the imposter group of Vongola illusions the cloaked man had made. "They're real illusions but they're unrealistic because of one thing…" The feared illusionist smirked.

"You don't know the bonds that tie the Vongola."

* * *

"Well... It's your birthday, so I got Lussuria-san to help me." Tsuna smiled softly at her and the box he was holding. "It's going to absolutely suit you Satsuki-chaaaannn!" Satsuki blinked and tilted her head at the rather, large, white, cardboard box. Lussuria opened the cover, the dark violet ribbon stuck on top of it billowed down, lifting the cover off and showing what seemed to be an elegant black and white dress. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips, just the front looked far too sophisticated for someone like her to wear. "It... looks expensive." Was the only thing she could say, beating herself up a little in her head for not saying 'thank you' first. Lussuria let out a mysterious laugh when the question of price came up while Tsuna just sent her a sheepish smile, none of the two answering. The Varia member took it by the straps and lifted it up, the whole of it waving as it unfolded.

From what Satsuki could see, it was a white trumpet dress. The upper half embroidered with a flower pattern, the straps thin, and the ebony belt around the waist designed with what seemed like little crystals and ending on the side with a just as elegant bow. The bottom flowed down, twisting and dropping till it reached the floor. "Here, here! It's time you get going for tonight so put it on!" Lussuria shoved it into her hands and pushed her towards the bathroom. The two men were left waiting out in the living room, Tsuna wondering if the dress would really fit her and if Lussuria really had chosen the right one, whereas the said Varia was just as confident as ever.

"E..Errr... Lussuria-nee..." Satsuki's voice came out quite timid, though she was properly dressed in it now, she didn't know what to make of it. Lussuria jumped up and hurried over to the bathroom, Tsuna looking after him. There were shuffles, some noises, squeaks and by this point Tsuna was getting worried about what they were doing in there, no matter how girly Lussuria acted, he was still a man. He was about to get up on his own two feet, when Satsuki finally came out in the dress. It struck the Vongola boss on the knees and kept him seated on the couch. The dress had fit her perfectly, the upper half hugging her frame and the belt accentuating her waist while the skirt hit the right length for her. He almost regretted that he couldn't escort her to the ball.

She looked at herself in the mirror, twirling once and then looking at Tsuna with a bright smile. "Thanks! It's beautiful." Tsuna took a few minutes to take in the picture of her, it was almost dream-like. Her straight, ebony locks cascading around her shoulders, touching the scar on the left side of her neck that continued on to her collarbone. Her lips already dusted with a light pink gloss, stretched into a smile that complemented her celestial nose and bistre-colored, upturned eyes. Satsuki turned again towards the Vongola boss, her eyes holding delight that slowly, burned off into disappointment. She'd already asked him to the ball and he'd already replied that he had things to do concerning the chaos in Japan, concerning Kyoko. She completely understood. It had to be taken care of. Though, looking at him now, even in his usual gray waistcoat over the white, long sleeved polo, he looked to be quite the handsome man from where she stood or for that matter, from every angle.

The soft sound and shuffle of shoes briskly walking towards the living room snapped Satsuki away from her musing. Gokudera was the one to escort her today and the Storm guardian himself was the one who made it so, unbeknownst to the girl. This night was carefully planned, every move was prepared behind the shadows and Gokudera being the one to enter the party with her was one of those moves. "Are we going?" The silver-haired guardian asked, tapping his foot impatiently, the far end of his shoe hitting the marble floor with moderate clacks. A normal, black and white suit with a black tie underneath the jacket was what Storm sported, his impatient face not really giving off the air of a gentleman.

Tsuna stood, pressing his hands on his knees, pushing himself up, then offering a hand towards Satsuki who looked curiously at him. "At least let me walk you to the car." She smiled and placed her hand in his, allowing him to-almost deliberately-slowly guide her to the flight of stairs while Lussuria and Gokudera were already out of sight, down at the front of the Varia castle. "Send my greetings to Matteo." Tsuna said, a trace of something unreadable in his voice, his grip on her hand, which they had both forgotten were still in each other's warmth, tightening a little bit. Satsuki only gave him a firm, curious nod, her heart growing heavy with each step down the flight of stairs. By the time they hit the ground floor, she turned towards him with a rueful face, "I-I'm really sorry."

The surprise in his face wasn't masked, telling her that he was confused as to what she was apologizing for. "I wish we were in Japan right now, we didn't have to come here. We really didn't." She pulled her hand away and curled it into a fist as if disgusted by herself. Wearing a dress and off to a ball in the middle of a crisis and yet, she still wanted to go. The larger part of her still wanted to go. She wanted those documents. She had to find out and she promised herself. **Promised herself **that as soon as she got the documents, got her answers, she'd leave Italy and everything behind.

A hand placed itself on her shoulder and when she looked up, she already expected to look into his gentle orbs. He had always been like that, he'd never blamed anyone but himself for anything. "There's hardly anything we can do right now." She'd been told this a hundred times, that Mukuro Rokudo was the only one able to access Kyoko Sasagawa's mind at the moment and a battle was still being fought somewhere in the girl's head. "I'll call you if there's any progress in Japan." She nodded her head a little and sighed, stepping away from him towards the front doors that Lussuria was holding open.

Outside, Gokudera was waiting with the limousine, smoking a cigarette. She'd only stepped a foot out, Tsuna's voice breaking her stride. "Satsuki." Lussuria looked sideways at the Vongola boss, the sudden intrusion coming unexpected. She turned her head, seeing the flash of worry in his face only for a split-second, not sure if it was there at all. Calling out to her was impulse, he didn't really have anything to say, just that something in his gut told him he had to take a good look at her face now. "...You look beautiful." That wasn't what he really had wanted to say, regardless, it was still the truth. _Be careful. _He'd tried to convey it with his eyes. The girl only averted her gaze to the floor, denying Tsuna complete access to her flushed face and let out a small "Thanks." before turning and thanking Lussuria as well for his help.

Once the doors closed, and once the two who were left inside were sure the limousine had left, Tsuna pressed the clear, transparent earpiece closer to his lobe, tapping a little on the small button on the surface. "She left, Squalo." A slight static, crackling sound ensued from the other end, causing Lussuria to press on his as well. "I got it!" was all the Varia member replied. "Your position?" Tsuna asked, not satisfied to just get a short confirmation, turning back to climb up towards his office. A gruff scowl came from the other end, "I'm trying to find Matteo. Belphegor's somewhere inside the ballroom with Mammon. Levi's out at the balcony." Tsuna was about to confirm that the Varia boss hadn't went, possibly having better things to do or simply didn't find the need to help, but he'd been wrong. "I don't know where the shitty boss is, probably down at the wine cellar." _and terrorizing the people there. _Squalo left out, knowing that Xanxus was better off away from the ballroom because he'd most probably cause chaos there.

"Lussuria will be following soon." Tsuna spoke, turning to look at the man who had gone out the door, hearing Decimo's command. Tsuna had to stay, he had wanted to stay to take calls from Japan, despite Reborn being there and being able to take calls Tsuna had wanted to be the first one to hear from Japan. He was infinitely worried about Kyoko, he just hadn't shown it. The Varia would take care of Satsuki, that was the task assigned to them while Tsuna had to monitor things in Japan. The minute he stepped into his office, not caring that Reborn was there, he'd sighed and placed his head in his hand. Thoughts of everything flitting in and out of his head, so many things he had to take care of, so many people he failed to protect.

"Now's not the time to cry, Dame-Tsuna." Tsuna sighed again and picked his head up, giving a rueful smile to Reborn. "I'm not crying." He wasn't on the verge of tears yet, ten years ago if he was placed in the same situation, he might have been, but he was boss. He had to act like one now, make the decisions and pull everything together. He had to be fair and this was his way of doing it.

The cameras in Japan were transmitted real-time to the Varia base, he had access to everything that was happening there and told them to inform him if anything drastic happened. So far, nothing had. He pressed on one square on the touch screen computer and swiped upwards, the small square enlarging and showing up in front of him with the help of a holograph transmitter. He'd enlarged the camera at the meeting room, the same one where they had the big meeting yesterday. He knew people would gather there if something was needed to be discussed, this was the only room he waited on; the other cameras showed only the hallways for security purposes.

Tsuna folded his hands over his desk and leaned back on his chair, getting more worried by the minute. His shoulders never relaxed, tense as a snake ready to strike, muscles aching with stress. What if something happened to Kyoko while he wasn't there? Would it be his fault? His lack of judgement and poor decision making skills? So many people would never forgive him, get angry at him but he knew that the person who would be most enraged if something tragic were to happen, was himself. He had to have time alone and think to himself, about their every move, every strike and every plan.

Was it selfish for him to think that maybe he had been better off staying in Japan? _but what about Satsu- _His train of thought came apart when there was a beeping sound from the voice transmitter, from Japan. He moved his hand so fast to press the button and answer the call. "Tsunayoshi Sawada." His blood ran cold, it wasn't one of his guardians, nor anyone he knew, he didn't recognize this gruff voice. From the left of his peripheral vision, he saw Reborn tip his hat up, concerned. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Rovin..." Tsuna didn't have the time to respond, the man on the other line not done with his introductions.

"Picotta, Rovin."


End file.
